Poole Townsend is an established advice firm with a long-standing, experienced team. Like many firms built up over years rather than months, a great deal of technical knowledge and good practice sat with individual advisers rather than in a formalised, written process.
As the firm moved into a new phase, bringing through newer advisers alongside long-standing team members preparing to retire or move on, the need for a clearer, more consistent approach to Training & Competency became increasingly apparent.
Before working with Verve, T&C oversight was managed in-house, largely through informal, on-the-job learning rather than a fully formalised route to competent adviser status.
As the department took on a trainee adviser returning from maternity leave and a new mortgage and protection adviser, a few clear challenges came to light:
The firm wanted a structured approach that would properly support advisers, capture what good looked like, and give confidence that T&C was being handled in the right way.
Poole Townsend partnered with Verve's Training & Competency service to bring dedicated expertise, structure and an external perspective to their T&C arrangements.
Working closely with Paul Sylvester-Evans, Verve's Training Manager, the firm moved from an informal, experience-led approach to one built around clear frameworks, objective assessment and documented evidence.
Verve's support was not limited to oversight. Paul also delivered ad hoc technical sessions, including one on protection which was well received even by an adviser who had initially been more hesitant about bringing in outside support, a helpful early sign that the service was being seen as development rather than an added layer of scrutiny.
Having started with two advisers working towards competency, the firm has since rolled the service out to all of its advisers, new and experienced alike.
Clearer, more consistent oversight: Advisers now have clear expectations to work to, with competency assessed in a structured and objective way rather than relying on informal conversations or individual judgement.
Knowledge captured, not just held: Verve's framework has helped turn experience and good practice into something visible, repeatable and evidenced, reducing the firm's reliance on informal knowledge-sharing from long-standing advisers.
Supported, confident advisers: Newer advisers, including those returning after a career break, have found the process constructive rather than intimidating, with a clear route to follow and a better understanding of what good looks like in practice.
Time and pressure lifted from management: Outsourcing T&C freed up time and mental load for the department lead, who no longer needed to build and manage the framework internally while also developing in their own role.
Greater business confidence: The firm now has more assurance that its T&C arrangements are robust, consistent and well documented, supporting confidence ahead of regulatory scrutiny and reducing reliance on memory or informal process.
An external sounding board: Beyond adviser support, the Verve team’s experience of working across multiple firms has given the department lead a broader perspective, helping shape their own approach to running the department.
Client Perspective
"I cannot really imagine going back to managing it all ourselves in the same way. Verve gives us a combination of structure, objectivity, adviser support and compliance reassurance that would be hard to replicate internally. It helps us do things properly, gives our advisers better support, and gives me confidence that we are running T&C in a way that is both practical and compliant."
For Poole Townsend, partnering with Verve on Training & Competency has turned informal, experience-led development into a structured, evidenced and compliant process.
The firm benefits from clearer adviser expectations, more consistent and objective assessment, and the reassurance that valuable knowledge is being captured and shared rather than lost as long-standing advisers retire or move on.
The result is better-supported advisers, greater confidence at business level, and a T&C process built to keep pace as Poole Townsend continues to grow as a firm.
If you're ready to bring structure and confidence to your T&C process, have a chat with our friendly team. Book a call today.
