Well hello there!
If you're looking to find out more about us both, this is the page for you

The faces behind CWSL Training Services

Hi! I'm Caroline

Hello! I'm Sarah

I haven’t seen my natural hair colour since I was 14. And being short, I’ve spent most of life looking up people’s noses or standing in their armpits on trains.

I don’t think I have ever been cool.

I like the feeling of the warm sun on my face; fast cars; big skies, and spicy pickled onions. Not all at the same time though, that would be too much (even for me). I was raised on Casualty and now watch every medical and Police programme going to relax. I know. There’s obviously something going on there in my brain about looking after people, solving problems and justice.

'I've always hated bad services and badly worded letters which can instantly destroy all the hard work someone has put into investigating a complaint'.

I am intrigued by how people respond when they’re up against it, and I like to understand what drives and motivates people to behave the way they do. That’s probably how I ended up working in a complaints team. To be honest, I don’t know exactly how it happened, I think I sort of fell into it. I am, if nothing, honest about my entry into the world of dispute resolution.

'In 2017, I decided it was time to leave the Financial Ombudsman Service. Why? Well, because I learned that life is too short and I wanted to be able to give more and do more than I was'.

Since then, I’ve branched out into areas I couldn’t have dreamt of being involved in a few years ago. I could list it here, but that would be a bit boring, wouldn’t it? So, if you want to know the full ins and outs of my career so far, pull up a chair and visit my LinkedIn profile.

But. Like the last Cadbury’s Chocolate Finger biscuit on a plate in front of me, when it comes to anything to do with complaints, I just can’t say no. Sarah felt exactly the same way (about complaints, not chocolate fingers) and, in 2018 we decided to put our collective heads together to help businesses in the way we’ve always wanted to. With honesty, with heart and with practical knowledge.

I’ve been in complaints handling longer than I care to mention if I’m honest. It’s been over 20 years all in, but I’m still learning so much as complaints start to catch up with the rest of customer services.

Anyway, a bit more about me. I’ve spent my whole working life in customer services, because I get a buzz from helping people sort out problems. I then fell into financial services and complaints – let’s face it, we never grow up wanting to be a complaints handler in financial services do we? But, I love it, which is why I’m still here!

'It probably explains why I don't like seeing businesses struggling with the rules and the expectations from both the regulator and the Ombudsman, to the detriment of their business, their staff and customers'.

I mean when has taking something fluffy and ethereal like rules and putting them into a tangible process been easy? Never, but couple that with the secretive nature of financial services and you have the perfect storm.

That’s why I left the FOS in 2018 and set up CWSL with Caroline. Putting it bluntly, I knew things could be done differently and I wasn’t in the position to offer that guidance without leaving.   

'As a result I became frustrated with not being able to be completely clear about what businesses needed to do to get the right outcomes, quickly and efficiently'.

To me, it’s the fairest thing to do, so that businesses can use my knowledge and experience to make their complaints processes more effective and efficient for everyone involved. And that’s why CWSL is here.

If you’d like to know the full story of my work history, you’re welcome to look me up on LinkedIn and connect with me.

There’s obviously more to me than just my passion for my business, I’m also a qualified counsellor, as I have a fascination with mental health and how this can massively impact our lives. I’m also an avid, but not altogether fantastic, runner. I have a passion for real ale, with much research having been carried out over the years and I adore anything to do with Scotland.