Mike SinquefieldAssociate Athletics Director for AdministrationTexas Christian UniversityWhy did you decide to implement Teamworks with your program?I saw what my peers were doing with it and how appealing it was. The communication tool was the big thing for me, but I wasn’t sure at first if there was enough bang for the buck. Once I saw how everyone else was using it and how much they were getting out of it, I saw how valuable it was, and now having it has helped us out a ton.Our schedules are so rushed in everything we do and it’s hard to get a good captive audience from my football team with so much going on. There are a lot of times I need to push information to them and know they're getting it. Especially time-sensitive things.In the past, I would have tried to catch everyone right after practice or leave a note in their lockers. Or I’d try to send a text through a different system which …well, this one’s way more effective. Being able to schedule a message in advance is huge, and, after a message goes out, I get instant feedback now so I know if someone’s number isn’t working or if they aren’t getting my messages.Matt Doyle at Stanford was showing me how he plans out communications for scheduling during his bowl games, and I can’t wait to do that for our bowl. I’m already thinking of it.What problems does Teamworks solve that weren’t being addressed?Our communication and my ability to send reminders are much better now. Here’s an example: Parking notifications were previously a big issue for us. Before home games, our players have to park their cars in a different lot. In previous years, a lot of them would forget to move their cars, especially if it was a home game after a week or two of playing away. This year, I just set up a reminder to have cars moved on Fridays. They get a Teamworks text, and we haven’t had any parking problems this year.Another side benefit: as kids change cell numbers, they are much better about informing me of the changes because they know this is how I’m pushing information to them. In the past, they wouldn’t have ever told me this. A coach may have figured it out and let me know, but we would go a while without their current number. Now the guys know that this is the way we communicate, and they make sure I have their current number or else they won’t get important information. They are now way more willing to keep me informed.How have you and your staff used Teamworks so far?I sent out wake-up calls using the Voice Messaging during camp. Every day they’d get a message that would say, “Good morning. Time to wake up. Breakfast is at this time and this location…” and would let them know any important details for the day. I’ve also set up calendar reminders for important appointments with text, email, and voice reminders to make sure there’s no way a player can forget about it.Here’s another good example: When ticket request deadlines come up, I’ll send out a Teamworks text to remind them they need to sign in and submit their requests. I can literally check at 9 o’clock, see a bunch of people who haven’t logged in yet to request tickets, send out a Teamworks text to remind them, and then check back again at 9:30 and see almost the whole team has done what they’re supposed to. That’s just a direct example that shows me they are paying attention to those messages and that it’s working.Here is another example that happened this week. We were selected for conference random drug testing, When our athletic trainer got the kids’ assignments, he was able to text them immediately to instruct them to see him ASAP for instructions, let them know when and where they needed to be. Now, it's just so much easier to get that type of information communicated to them. The players knew exactly what was going on and what was expected of them, and when our athletic trainer walked in, he said, “Teamworks is money" referring to how helpful the messaging in Teamworks was in assisting him.Instead of going through a random list for every guy, I’ll just press a button that will tell me who’s free when. There’s still a lot more I can get out of it and a lot more uses I’ll be able to put in place in the spring once we get out of the season. How would you rate Teamworks' implementation process, training, and customer service?There is nothing that I’d change with the implementation. We were up and running and implemented quickly. The info we sent over was uploaded quickly and correct. Everything has been golden.I like to get in there and play around and learn things on my own. Teamworks was really easy to pick up quickly. I went in and figured it out with no problem. I only have positive things to say about customer service. The Teamworks guys are reaching out to me often, and I never have any complaints.Would you recommend Teamworks to other football programs?Without a doubt. It came heavily recommended to me by people I know and trust in the business, and I’d do the same for someone else.The number of communications I need to have with our athletes is way beyond what I can do with any other system. This is my own tool. This is my roster under my watch. It just makes it simple. I don’t have to filter out a bunch of people just to get to my guys. Teamworks is built just for my team operations. My job is operational logistics for my team and my staff, and this is my tool to do it.