Matt MummeHead Football CoachLaGrange CollegeWhy did you decide to implement Teamworks at LaGrange?One of the main reasons we decided to implement Teamworks was to address the gaps in communication between our staff and the players. The biggest thing for us, which is probably the case at most DII and DIII colleges, is that we are spread so thin. We have to rely on a limited number of coaching staff and personnel to take care of 130-140 players.How have the players reacted to Teamworks?Within a few days, they quickly learned how everything was going to come to them. From their perspective, it definitely addresses some of the issues they were having with the way we were communicating with them. For example, earlier this year I had a meeting with our upcoming seniors. One of their biggest complaints was how we were depending on old fashioned schedules posted on bulletin boards in the locker room – “Coach, we are a half a mile from campus. When we aren’t in the locker room, or when we are getting out of class, it’s tough for us to know where we need to be, which makes it hard to be there on time.” Teamworks Calendar allows us to have everything in one place, and we can easily send out emails, voice mails, and texts to communicate more effectively with our players.How has the staff reacted to Teamworks?It has been great! Our position coaches have really enjoyed it because when they want to have a meeting at the drop of a hat, they can easily do that. They go to the calendar, check the availability of all of their guys, see they have everybody available, and can shoot out a message that says, “Meeting at our building at 1:00pm.” All of their guys are there. It really is a tool that gives us the real time ability to get guys there when we need them. It’s awesome!Aside from Messaging and Calendar, how else are you using Teamworks?The Metrics module has been great! When I first looked at it, I wasn’t sure what to expect or how I would use it. However, once I started using it to track the quarterbacks, and started seeing how much they were improving, I saw how easy and valuable it was. When a strength coordinator adds that a player did 225 lbs 10 times, but the next time he did it 13 times, I can see that. I can quickly go to my team, click on a player, and see if he is improving or not. If he is getting better, I can congratulate him. If he’s not, I can go in there and say, “Hey, we need to pick it up.” Being able to easily see how all of my players are getting better is priceless.Moving forward, our next area to tackle is forms. We are looking forward to moving our forms to Teamworks, which will allow us to eliminate some of the trouble with the dreaded first day of camp in August. We will be able to get the paperwork out to the guys before they even get here so they can fill it out beforehand and just bring it in. That will be really helpful to eliminate the hassles of that day.How has your program changed since using Teamworks?Overall, we are more efficient. We are able to get more done with the guys, and, as a coaching staff, we are getting everybody in the right place. The number one benefit we have seen so far out of Teamworks has come from the calendar system – we know where all of our players are at any point in the day. We can communicate with them so they stay on track and are where they should be, when they should be.At our level, there are a lot of hatchet coaches where someone needs to go work a baseball game or a tennis match. I even had to stand in as the golf coach for a day and take the golf team to a tournament. One of the big benefits of Teamworks is that you have the ability to reach out to players and coaches no matter where you are. I was up in north Georgia, and I was still able to communicate with my team when I had to leave for two days at the drop of a hat. I could still keep up with the everyday operations of Football because I had Teamworks.How would you rate Teamworks training, implementation, and customer service?The training was very easy. That was probably my biggest concern when we started. I am not a very technologically-savvy guy, and some of the other systems I have dealt with have been such a pain to learn how to use. With Teamworks, the ease of use was great. The training was great. And everything we have gotten from the staff has been exceptional.What would you say to somebody who does not have Teamworks or has not heard about Teamworks yet?Really Simple: You are missing the boat. I have been at the DI level, I have been at the DIAA, and I have been at the DIII level. I don’t see any level that would not benefit from Teamworks.Would you recommend Teamworks to other DII/DIII programs?Without a doubt. The organizational factor alone is worth it. Being a head coach and only having six full-time coaches to oversee 130-140 student athletes is difficult. It’s hard for my staff to be stretched so thin. Using Teamworks to get organized has really made a difference. Last year, we would have guys in the wrong place, whereas this year, it’s rare that a player is late for a meeting. It is definitely something I would recommend to any other program.What are you most looking forward to using as you prep for the Fall season?Definitely the calendar system, even more so than now in the off-season. In the spring, we are only able to see the players eight hours per week, but in the fall, we are going to have them for 20 hours. Everything is going to be more rigorous. They have classes, then practice, then meetings – not to mention travel and leaving on Fridays for games. Teamworks will help us keep all of that organized and give us the ability to easily share information with the team.