Case Study - AbbeyField
A Comprehensive Health Check
Case study: Abbeyfield
Abbeyfield, a care home and sheltered housing provider in the UK, faced challenges in realising the benefits of their newly implemented HCM system, Dayforce. Despite significant investment, the system’s adoption and utilisation were limited.
Abbeyfield cares for around 1,700 people across 100 sheltered houses and 15 care homes, employing both full-time, part-time and agency staff.
Their centralised business functions and operational teams required an efficient HCM, Workforce management and payroll system that met there tactical and strategic needs.
The Challenge
Team Wheel was brought in by Abbeyfield around eighteen months after implementing Dayforce to conduct a comprehensive Health Check, prompted by their realisation that the expected benefits from implementing the management software were not materialising. Despite the investment made, there was a significant technical issues and problems with adoption rates, and overall satisfaction levels among users.
Even after a year and a half, the utilisation of Dayforce was limited, and provided a poor experience. Users were only beginning to take advantage of basic features such as booking holidays and automation was non-existent, resulting in no savings. It became apparent that some users were still relying on legacy methods (excel!) in parallel with the new system, thereby undermining its potential benefits, invalidating reporting and causing potential compliance issues. This lack of full implementation and adoption were hindering Abbeyfield’s ability to fully benefit from the capabilities of the Dayforce software, solve its business issues and meet its strategic aims
Objectives
Abbeyfield wanted to realise the original value proposition that they were given by Dayforce and needed help in doing this.
We initially explained to Abbeyfield what was achievable with the software and how best to make that happen with some element of client expectation management. The client’s goals focused on controlling agency spending, reducing payroll costs and administration, decreasing HR effort in staff deployment, and streamlining workforce management. There was also an expectation for improved self-service time recording, payroll automation, management, and accuracy.
The aim was to help Abbeyfield realise a return on investment by automating processes such as payroll, time off management, scheduling, and efficiently managing time and attendance.
First Steps
We began by conversing with the management and subject matter experts to understand the current state of Dayforce and how they had reached this point. The discussions then focused on their short, medium, and long-term goals, both tactical and strategic. Our experts assessed their existing setup, its implementation, and how it could be leveraged to meet their objectives.
Based on these discussions, our approach involved assessing the outcomes and producing a maturity report, resource estimates, and costings to help achieve their objectives.
The Team Wheel difference
“The team really excelled with their technical know-how, taking a full-on approach with clients. They didn’t just tackle technical stuff; they dug deep, understanding client goals and helping achieve them together. They spent significant time with Abbeyfield’s subject matter experts, working alongside them instead of just doing things for them. In just two weeks, it was clear that a major overhaul of the organisation was needed, even though it wasn’t originally planned or budgeted for. Rather than taking over, we approached this by offering guidance and support, making sure the clients were right there with us every step of the way.”
– Andy Simpson Principal Consultant Team Wheel –
What did Team Wheel do?
The teams immediate priority was to address Abbeyfield business need; what they were trying to achieve, strategically and operationally in the short, medium and long term. This allowed us to tailor our technical approach and help Abbeyfield prioritise their needs.
During the discovery sessions, we took the big picture items and explored them in detail, discussing configuration preferences around forms, workflows, payroll, and other main system components. This covered core areas such as HR, payroll, workforce management, time and attendance, and scheduling. We considered all aspects and crafted a solution tailored to Abbeyfield’s needs, managed testing (including user acceptance testing), and transitioned into a pilot phase.
The team then managed the testing process, explaining its significance, defining test cases, and guiding people through the execution. During this phase, they were available to fix any issues that arose and provide support.
A ‘Change Network’ of 27 dedicated representatives from various areas of the organisation was selected for the pilot to ensure successful rollout and testing of the solution.
Outcome
Our Dayforce Health Check produced significant advancements in several key areas;
- There will be substantial direct payroll saving alongside notable enhancements in operational efficiency and agency staff management.
- The automation of payroll will allow for a 66% reduction in payroll operational costs.
- Abbeyfield now has a structured framework for more effective scheduling, allowing staff to manage their own schedules as intended, benefiting both employees and management.
- Compliance issues were addressed head-on. Now, when staff members are scheduled, managers can easily verify their qualifications and credentials to ensure all regulatory requirements are met.
- Compliance reporting will be easier, thanks to the improvements implemented during the health check. The Quality Compliance Control (QCC) demonstration showcased how reports that used to take significant time to compile can be generated within a matter of minutes and Excel sheets are no longer used for the HR activities within the organisation.
TeamWheel’s Opinion
The health check conducted by Team Wheel not only resolved the immediate issues but also positioned Abbeyfield to fully leverage their HCM system including WFM and Payroll. The collaborative approach of working ‘for you, with you’ ensured requirements were clearly understood, technical excellence was delivered and Abbeyfield were fully equipped to make the most of the system.
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