Summer 2023 saw LEΔD reaching new heights

With almost 2000 new sign-ups from summer 2023, LEAD experienced exponential growth—10,000 times more than the previous year’s sign-ups. The team is immensely proud of our talented and hardworking Southwestern Advantage student interns who made this achievement possible.

The LEΔD program provides its members with an education in the principles of personal leadership, success habits, and interpersonal skills with a focus on turning those principles into practice. It is the latest addition to the Southwestern Advantage product line, symbolizing a timeless concept within the portfolio of the Southwestern Family of Companies: the cultivation of future leaders.

To learn more read our blog, From Vision to Action: Why LEΔD is the New Normal

The LEΔD Program Faced New Challenges

The sudden surge in new LEΔD sign-ups brought forth several operational challenges related to onboarding, welcome processes, and customer fulfillment. Learning from the challenges faced in 2023 helped LEΔD pioneer a new way to streamline the process and give a great customer experience for 2024.

“We really weren’t prepared for the volume as quickly as it escalated one week to the next, one month to the next… So it’s important that we really get our processes down and be able to accurately track our customer data.” said Elizabeth Mendoza, LEΔD’s Client Success Manager.

The LEΔD team is dedicated to ensuring an optimal experience for both families making purchases and student interns involved in selling and using the product. This is why the growth year in 2023 was crucial—it helped reveal inefficiencies in our operations that need attention.

What is in store for LEΔD in 2024?

Over the past six months, the LEΔD team has been diligently working to exceed customer expectations and provide an exceptional experience. This effort has not only spurred innovation in the product and process, but has also resulted in significant growth within the LEAD team, more than doubling its size from the previous year.

Noelle Sporer, LEΔD’s Marketing & Operations Specialist shared, “From a marketing perspective, it was obvious we needed to meet the age group where they’re at… The truth is, most high school and college-aged students are using apps and expect an intuitive, self-paced, and digital experience. So, why would we continue making things harder for them to naturally adopt? It must be an app.”

Based on market research and customer feedback, the team is structuring the LEAD app with a focus on enhancing the student experience and ensuring user-friendly functionality. The app features a course-specific digital learning program that includes hundreds of pieces of content, lessons, games, incentives. Additionally, users will have the opportunity to attend monthly sessions with an experienced mentor, earn personal leadership certifications, and receive letters of recommendation from senior members of the Southwestern Advantage team.

What Changes Can I Expect to See in the LEΔD Program?

The product is changing on a fundamental level. First, the app will replace the LEAD Growth Book. The growth book will still be available as an addition to families who complete their onboarding and would like to request it to get started. The app will be the place students learn, interact, achieve, and book their mentorship meetings.

With LEAD’s AI learning platform, no two experiences will look exactly alike. For instance, students in different grades will be recommended to different types of content so that their experience is tailored to them. If a member prefers, the app will also offer the option of a Spanish language experience.

Managing member accounts will be easier within the Southwestern LEAD portal. Members will be able to add users, delete users, manage their billing, and handle their subscription all in one place. Additionally, the team will reply to customer inquiries within 24 hours.

The LEΔD Onboarding & Welcome course along with the FAQ section within the app will help to answer the most common member questions and help facilitate a smoother experience using the LEΔD program. The aim is to clarify the results customers can expect upon completing LEAD.
When a member completes the first phase of LEAD and earns their certification and letters of recommendation, they will also be eligible to win scholarships that can be used at an academic institution of their choice, courtesy of Southwestern Advantage.

Are you interested in learning more about the LEΔD program for your family? Click here.