Australian Pacific College creates pathways for success with one solution for pay and time

Australian Pacific College (APC) is one of Australia’s leading independent education providers, with multiple campuses across the country and a diverse, mobile workforce. When legacy platforms approached end-of-life, APC saw a chance to modernise and simplify.

“We were managing critical information across disconnected systems,” says Bruce Hearfield, Payroll Manager at APC. “We were facing challenges around accurate time capture, resource allocation, and employee self-service. It was a good opportunity to move to a better, modern, and integrated system.”

The timing, however, came with added complexity, with APC also navigating internal restructuring and resourcing pressures. Rather than delay, APC chose to move forward with the help of Dayforce and implementation partner The Payroll Collective.

Choosing one platform for people, payroll, and workforce planning

To streamline and unify its workforce systems, APC chose to continue its relationship with Dayforce to implement an integrated system across payroll, HR, and workforce management. “We needed a solution that could bring everything together,” says Hearfield. “We could get that with the Dayforce platform while keeping continuity with a team we already trusted.”

APC also engaged The Payroll Collective as its implementation partner, bringing specialist payroll knowledge and on-the-ground project experience. “Dayforce ran the implementation directly, while we acted as an extension of the APC team,” explains Natalee Leach, Director and CEO of The Payroll Collective. “We helped translate business needs into system requirements, prioritise the build, and support them through testing and training.”

When the original project team at APC transitioned out, the remaining team, along with Dayforce and The Payroll Collective, kept the project moving. “We had to pivot quickly,” Leach says. “But thanks to strong collaboration and shared goals, we delivered on time and on budget.”

Where APC saw the biggest impact

The transition to Dayforce delivered wide-ranging benefits across APC’s payroll, HR, and employee experience.

Strong testing led to a smoother go-live 

The rigorous user acceptance testing (UAT) saw almost 1,000 test cases executed. “We had a 98% success rate across our test cases,” says Leach. “It meant we could go live without lingering issues or delays.” 

Hearfield sees the effort as worth it. “Testing might feel like overkill when you’re doing it,” he notes, “but it really helped the business immerse itself in the Dayforce world, and that paid off during go-live.”

Faster payroll processing

Before Dayforce, finalising payroll was a multi-day task. Now, it’s faster, less dependent on individual team members, and easier to manage, even during staff absences.

“Before Dayforce, payroll would take about two and a half days,” says Sammi Liu, Financial Controller at APC. “Now, it’s down to two days or less. That’s easily a full half-day saved each fortnight.” And because the process is more transparent and user-friendly, APC is no longer dependent on any one person to keep things running. “I was able to take a couple of weeks off, and after a quick walkthrough, other team members were able to run payroll in my absence,” adds Hearfield. “That simply wouldn’t have been possible with our old system.”

Widespread adoption driven by mobile

The mobile-friendly interface has become a hit with staff, who now use Dayforce regularly to manage everything from rosters to pay. “The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive,” says Hearfield.

“Staff love the app. People can clock in and out, view schedules, and access payslips - all from their phones.”

Dayforce’s single sign-on also reduced the administrative load. “We used to get a lot of requests for payslips or password resets,” he adds. “That’s dropped significantly.”

Less complexity and admin

The implementation removed many of the inefficiencies and manual workarounds that had crept in over the years. “We had so many disjointed systems before, and each came with its own set of problems,” says Hearfield. “With Dayforce, we’ve eliminated a lot of that complexity.”

Improved data accuracy and reporting

With employees now actively using the system, APC has seen an uplift in data quality. “People are more confident using Dayforce, so they’re more likely to update their own details,” says Hearfield. “That’s giving us cleaner data, fewer manual updates, and more reliable records for planning.”

On the finance side, processes are also more efficient. “Our general ledger import used to take extra formatting,” Liu explains. “Now it’s straightforward, and we’re saving at least half an hour each month.”

Words of advice: Get involved and do the work upfront.

For organisations facing system end-of-life and transition, Hearfield has clear advice: “Get involved early and immerse yourself in the system,” he recommends. “Learn the system as you go because it’s your platform, and the more you understand it, the more value you’ll get.”

Today, APC is in a stronger position, thanks to modern systems, smoother workflows, and improved employee experiences. “We’re in 2025 now, not stuck back in 2012,” Hearfield says. “This project has set us up for the future, and the feedback from the business has been really positive.”