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Some feature flaws, but pretty good overall
Updated February 24, 2016

Some feature flaws, but pretty good overall

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

Dayforce

Overall Satisfaction with Ceridian Dayforce HCM

Ceridian Dayforce HCM is used throughout the organization. It is used to keep track of employees' hours, as well as process payroll.
  • The fact that the Time, Payroll and Benefits are in the same system is very beneficial. Other systems require data feeds back and forth, which isn't as clean.
  • Ability to easily see a preview of any changes mid-week, without having to wait until you are processing to audit.
  • All bank routing numbers (for direct deposit) are available, in the system. There is no need to add a new bank to the database.
  • We have discovered issues with the accuracy of certain information that is displayed on W-2s.
  • Reporting is very difficult and not always accurate.
  • The support system, while getting better, still has room for improvement.
  • Local tax calculations are driven by an address locator feature that isn't 100 percent accurate.
  • Easier and more streamlined payroll processing, due to the all-in-one-system functionality.
  • Certain key reports that were basic to run in our previous system turned out to be complicated projects in Dayforce.
  • Increased employee efficiency.
  • Ceridian
We previously used Ceridian HPW, and we switched primarily because of the one-system aspect. There are certain things HPW does better - W-2s, reporting in general, tax calculation accuracy, intuitive employee W-4 change experience. There are certain things Dayforce does better (more modern system, no-batch processing, ability to create new pay and deduction codes on the fly.
Dayforce HCM

For employers who struggle with data feeds between different systems, Dayforce is an excellent option, because it is and all-in-one system.

Since reporting is not a strong point, I would say that companies with significant reporting needs would probably find other systems to be better suited to satisfy their requirements. Sometimes this area can be a major struggle.

Dayforce Feature Ratings

5.0
Employee demographic data
10
Employment history
9
Job profiles and administration
3
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.
Not Rated
Organizational charting
2
Organization and location management
1
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)
Not Rated
8.7
Pay calculation
9
Support for external payroll vendors
Not Rated
Benefit plan administration
7
Direct deposit files
10
Salary revision and increment management
Not Rated
Reimbursement management
Not Rated
9.0
Approval workflow
Not Rated
Balance details
9
Annual carry-forward and encashment
Not Rated
9.5
View and generate pay and benefit information
10
Update personal information
9
View job history
Not Rated
View company policy documentation
Not Rated
Employee recognition
Not Rated
Not Rated
Tracking of all physical assets
Not Rated
2.0
Report builder
3
Pre-built reports
1
Ability to combine HR data with external data
Not Rated
Integration with other HR capabilities ()
Not Rated
Not Rated
Performance plans
Not Rated
Performance improvement plans
Not Rated
Review status tracking
Not Rated
Review reminders
Not Rated
Multiple review frequency
Not Rated
Not Rated
Create succession plans/pools
Not Rated
Candidate ranking
Not Rated
Candidate search
Not Rated
Candidate development
Not Rated
Not Rated
New hire portal
Not Rated
Manager tracking tools
Not Rated
Not Rated
Corporate goal setting
Not Rated
Individual goal setting
Not Rated
Line-of sight-visibility
Not Rated
Performance tracking
Not Rated
Not Rated
Job Requisition Management
Not Rated
Company Website Posting
Not Rated
Publish to Social Media
Not Rated
Job Search Site Posting
Not Rated
Duplicate Candidate Prevention
Not Rated
Applicant Tracking
Not Rated
Notifications and Alerts
Not Rated

Using Ceridian Dayforce HCM

2000 - 

All employees have a Dayforce login. They use it for Self-Service workflows, as well as viewing their timesheets, pay stubs and W-2s.

Their managers have greater access, to their direct reports, as needed.

There are several people who are responsible for creating companywide reports (mostly attendance-related).

Admins are in charge of the system for the whole company, with full access.

2 - HRIS skills: reporting expertise and familiarity with systems.
  • Timekeeping; clocking in and out and pay adjustments (e.g. paid vacation)
  • Calculating and processing payroll
  • Benefits management
  • We have different clock lockout policies, for different groups of employees. This ability was a major upgrade over our previous system.
  • Recruiting; candidate management
  • Internal transfers as a workflow, handled within the system
Although it isn't perfect (no system is), overall the product is pretty good. And management really takes customer feedback into consideration when deciding on product enhancements.

Evaluating Ceridian Dayforce HCM and Competitors

Yes - 

We previously used Ceridian Time Pro (Time and Attendance) for timekeeping, and Ceridian HPW for payroll.

We switched to Dayforce because the system has greater capabilities overall, and mainly because everything (Time, Payroll and Benefits) is all in one system. We wanted to get out of the business of file feeds.

  • Price
  • Product Features
  • Product Usability
  • Product Reputation
  • Vendor Reputation
  • Existing Relationship with the Vendor
  • Positive Sales Experience with the Vendor
The fact that all the different functions are in one system, as opposed to different programs.

We were generally satisfied with our evaluation and selection process.

The one thing we may have done differently, in hindsight, is insisting on all the issues being 100 percent to our satisfaction before signing off on go-live. This is because we felt the support we received during the implementation process was superior to the post-sales support experience.

Ceridian Dayforce HCM Implementation

Make sure you are fully satisfied with the work of the implementation consultant(s). Our ICs for both Time (WFM) and Payroll were excellent, and as a result both of these were, for the most part, greatly successful.

But as mentioned previously, our IC for Benefits was incompetent, and the Benefits implementation was a major failure.

  • Vendor implemented
Yes - 

First we went live with WFM only, in August 2012.

In January 2015, we went live with Payroll and Benefits.

  • Our implementation consultant for Benefits was very new and not proficient with the system, and that aspect of implementation was a failure.
  • During the implementation process, we requested to be switched to a different Benefits consultant and were denied.
  • As a result, much of the Benefits piece needed to be redone afterwards.

Ceridian Dayforce HCM Training

  • Online training
  • In-person training
  • Self-taught
The trainer was very good. It was nice to have the training done on-site so the most users could benefit.
The online training is decent, and although one can ask questions, it isn't as easy as on-site.
Users (especially admins) should definitely learn the product before using it. Although it isn't rocket science, familiarity is recommended.

Configuring Ceridian Dayforce HCM

The product is, for the most part, highly configurable, which is a good thing. But there are certain things that users do not have the ability to modify, as well as others that even Support themselves cannot set up from their end.

We have a few quirks that perhaps only apply to our company, and we struggle to find workaround solutions because the system can't handle all of our specific needs.

Before going live for good, make sure that everything has been set up correctly by the implementation team and has been tested thoroughly.

Making configuration changes after the handoff to Support is a more time-consuming process, and not as reliable as we have experienced.

Always keep in mind your reporting needs when making changes, and make sure they are to your satisfaction.

No - there is no facility to customize the interface
Certain pay rules and other policies that are necessary for our organization.

Ceridian Dayforce HCM Support

Dayforce support used to be terrible. But a few months ago, they completely restructured the format, so now the same group of support professionals (called pods) is assigned to the same companies. The result is that they become quite familiar with your business and specific needs. In our case, our pod leader is excellent, and the support we have received since the transition has been much better.
ProsCons
Good followup
Knowledgeable team
Problems get solved
Kept well informed
Immediate help available
Support cares about my success
Quick Initial Response
None
Yes - 

At times, we got immediate resolutions to reported bugs. In some cases we needed to escalate directly to Dayforce senior management, when the matter was of a critical nature.

But this hasn't been the case always. Some bugs seem to drag on for a very lengthy duration. We would like to see faster resolution times.

During our first year-end experience, when we were preparing to close out the year and process W-2s, there were several issues that we experienced. Our dedicated pod (support) leader spent many hours with us on the phone, going late into the night on several occasions, as we worked to make sure everything was correct.

Using Ceridian Dayforce HCM

Overall the system is pretty usable. But certain things don't work perfectly for our business needs, and manual overrides are required.
ProsCons
Like to use
Relatively simple
Easy to use
Technical support not required
Well integrated
Consistent
Quick to learn
Convenient
Feel confident using
None
  • Payroll preview, even mid-week
  • Importing changes for large groups of employees (raises, schedule changes etc.)
  • Transfers from one legal entity to another
  • Local taxes that are residency-based aren't always calculated correctly, as the address validation isn't perfect. Doing the necessary override is difficult and cumbersome.
  • Overriding deductions in arrears can be a big pain.
  • SDI taxes can't be easily set to lower than the maximum-allowed deduction, even if it is required by law. In Dayforce, this involves importing an override for every single affected employee, every single pay run.
Yes, but I don't use it

Ceridian Dayforce HCM Reliability

We have found that the system performs much slower than usual when more information is being processed.

For example, the final pay run of the year we have a lot more entries, adjustments and checks etc. than in a typical week. The system's performance was noticeably affected. For this reason, I would hesitate to give it an excellent scalability score.

Usually the system functions as expected, without issues. But we have had some instances in the past, when users were unable to access the system, or it performed too slowly to work efficiently. However, these are on the rare side, and in recent memory no such instances come to mind.

Certain aspects of the system work very quickly and perform well.

Others - notably the Schedules section - are very slow, with frequent failed page loads. Also, the application sporadically logs users out of the system randomly, due to errors. Lately we have been getting this several times per day while working with employee Timesheets.

Integrating Ceridian Dayforce HCM

Until Ceridian has some kind of integration with their own Tax and Payment products - which are basic to an employer's needs - it is difficult to rank this very high.

That being said, the fact that Time, Payroll and Benefits are all in one system - thereby eliminating the need for integration between these systems - is a positive.

  • Ceridian HPW

We used to integrate with HPW, before we implemented Dayforce for Payroll. We had been using Dayforce for WFM (Time) only, and HPW for Payroll.

Integration was for the most part ok, except for a few rare glitches when there was a disconnect between the 2 systems.

  • Source Tax Online
  • Ceridian Payment Solutions
  • Wageworks (Transit benefits)

We have been told that full integration - perhaps even building it all into the Dayforce product - with Tax and Payment Solutions, is on their long-term roadmap. Hopefully this will be sooner rather than later, as it would make things much easier for customers like us who use these services.

Dayforce has told us that they do not plan on building the integration piece with Wageworks, which is a different company's product.

  • File import/export

We only have experience with integration between two different Ceridian products (Dayforce and HPW). Ceridian took full ownership over ensuring that their two systems communicated properly, and our implementation consultant set up the integration between these systems.

I am not sure how things would be with a competitor's product, for example integrating with an ADP or Kronos product.

Relationship with Ceridian

Sales was, and probably usually is, the easiest part. There were no issues that come to mind.

One of the implementation consultants we were assigned was grossly incompetent. After requesting to be switched to someone else, we were denied. This cause us to have to basically redo our setup from top to bottom after the fact, once we were live on the system.

At first, our experience with support was not good. It has improved in recent months, but for a time it was a struggle.


Basic contract; no major unique terms for our company.

They seem to be relatively easy to work with and honest. No glaring concerns there.

I would say that you should insist on any issues being fully resolved to your satisfaction before signing off on go-live. The customer service received during implementation, in our experience, surpassed the post-sales service by a wide margin.

Upgrading Ceridian Dayforce HCM

Yes - The release went smoothly, during the overnight hours, with no negative impact.
  • Bugs fixed
  • New product enhancements
  • New layout, making the system more user-friendly
  • New enhancements
  • More defects to be fixed
  • Increased compliance