Cody CejdaDirector of Football OperationsNorthwestern UniversityWhy did you decide to implement Teamworks for your program?I started using Teamworks when I was the Director of Player Development. I used the communication part of the system to get in touch with guys about internship or job opportunities. It was efficient, it was reliable, it never went down. Whenever there were issues, Teamworks did a good job of communicating and resolving them quickly.When you have 110 guys you need an easy way to distribute information quickly and efficiently, and Teamworks has facilitated that communication for our program.What problems does Teamworks solve that were not being addressed?I think the biggest advantage is that it allows me to communicate not just with the players, but with everyone that works with our team (Academic Advisors, Coaches, Strength Coaches, everyone).Teamworks has great tools for setting up meetings, communicating our schedule (which changes frequently), and just allowing me to keep everyone on the same page.Personally it has been really beneficial on bowl trips where things can change so quickly. I am always able to get in touch with everyone immediately. Same when we are traveling. I can get out any announcement or message as quickly as I need to to make sure everyone is where they need to be. One thing that has been great is that Teamworks has been proactive in trying to work with us and all the support areas to help us find new ways to use and apply the system. It has been a tremendous asset for the whole department.How have you and your staff used Teamworks so far?We send out schedule updates daily through Teamworks and text the guys just about every night. During the off season, our strength coach will use it frequently to keep everyone on track with workouts. We also use it for simple unscheduled messages like "You need to turn this form in to compliance," or "You need to go see this person."How would you rate Teamworks’ implementation process, training and customer service?On a 1-10 scale I would give a 9.5, and not a 10 because you don’t give out 10s! They do a great job of communicating in advance when things change and being proactive. They have been really flexible and willing to work around our schedule and make themselves available whenever we need.They have helped us identify a lot of ways that we can improve the way we use the system and help us make our operation better.What has been your team’s reaction to Teamworks?Our players like it. Sometimes our captains, leadership council, or guys that are having a team barbecue will ask me to send out messages for them. Coach Fitzgerald really likes it and appreciates how much more productive it has made us. Our support staff love it and always thank us for making it available to them and say, "I wish I had known about this sooner."Would you recommend Teamworks to other football programs?Absolutely. I would not have any reservations recommending it. It is a really effective tool. It makes me better at my job. The people at Teamworks have built a system that focuses on making team operations better, and I think that is something that people across the country in my role can appreciate.How do you see Teamworks affecting your program in the future?I think the next step for us is deploying the mobile application with all our players and staff so they can start logging in and checking their schedule right from their phones. That will just give us even more direct access to team information wherever we are. As more of our staff are trained and using it, Teamworks is getting to be more self-service and more ingrained in how we operate.