Compliance, like most industries, relies on technology to make us more efficient. There are many compliance software packages for a university to choose from, and all greatly help compliance professionals do their job correctly and efficiently. However, too many universities choose not to fully invest in compliance software, or even not invest at all. It is important for universities to fully invest in compliance software because it is something that ensures compliance professionals are better able to complete the necessary work to verify proper conduct, is almost always required by the NCAA following a major violation, and is cheaper and more efficient than hiring additional staff members.
Fully investing in a compliance software is important because it is something compliance professionals will use every day to complete the necessary work to ensure proper conduct. It makes us much more efficient in all aspects of compliance and can be utilized in monitoring nearly every bylaw, from recruiting to eligibility. Being able to track official and unofficial visits, recruiting contacts, and evaluations helps us monitor the recruiting areas where the most common violations occur. Also, being able to use compliance software to help do initial eligibility evaluations helps with efficiency and allows compliance professionals to spend time on other aspects of compliance which require manpower. Having coaches submit information and make calls through the software also makes minor violations easier to recognize and address.
While basic compliance software helps some with efficiency and monitoring, it pales in comparison to electing to go with the full service. The most common difference between a full package and a partial package is the ability to make phone calls and text messages through the software. This allows coaches to see who they are calling or texting and verify through the software that the prospect is of proper age before making the call. This alone can help prevent many minor violations from ever occurring. In the event a violation does occur, it also ensures compliance catches it faster and more easily, allowing compliance to spend less time on investigations, and more time helping coaches and student-athletes. In many instances, a university can, and should, elect to spend more money on the full package rather than just a partial package. Often, having a full software package is cheaper than hiring additional full-time staff members, while greatly increasing the ability of the current staff to correctly do their jobs. The automated work the software can do and monitor is more than an additional staff member or two could hope to accomplish in a day.
Additionally, the NCAA commonly requires universities to invest in compliance software following a major violation. Many non-power five universities choose to not invest in software, and eventually they face a preventable and expensive major violation because of it. In these situations, the NCAA will require the university to invest in compliance software. Instead of a university having to spend years and money going through a major violation investigation and potentially paying fines, it is much more cost efficient and proactive to invest in the correct software on the frontend and empower their compliance professionals to correctly do their job.
While most power five universities have fully invested in compliance software, too many non-power five universities still only invest in a partial software plan, or no software at all. Compliance professionals, like many other professionals, rely on technology to work more efficiently and monitor all aspects of their profession. Fully investing in compliance software can allow your current staff to better do their job on a daily basis, save money on hiring a larger staff, and potentially prevent the university from going through a major violation.