City of Carrollton gets ahead for the good of its citizens

Across communities everywhere, municipal governments are asked to do more with less – serve growing populations, meet complex needs and support an evolving workforce. The City of Carrollton, located in the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, knows that challenge firsthand.

With a population of around 140,000, Carrollton blends suburban charm with vibrant cultural life. It’s home to young families, longtime residents and a deep sense of civic pride. Behind the scenes, nearly 900 employees – spanning police, fire, construction, parks, libraries and more – keep the city running. With 15 distinct lines of business and a clear mandate from city leadership, Carrollton prioritises efficiency, long-term planning and responsive public service.

But like many local governments, Carrollton faced a hurdle: legacy HR processes that made it harder to serve both employees and the public.

“One of our biggest pain points was that a lot of our processes for simple employee updates and benefits enrolment were still paper-based,” explained Laura Li, HRIS Administrator, City of Carrollton. “We lacked automation in our workflows, which led to data discrepancies.”

“Government sometimes has a hard time keeping up with industry trends,” added Samantha Dean, Workforce Services & Civil Service Director, City of Carrollton. “Our goal was to stay ahead so we can operate better, faster and friendlier for our citizens.”

Carrollton needed a technology partner who could help to modernise HR from the inside out, cutting down on manual work, boosting data accuracy and giving employees more control over their experience.

That’s where Dayforce came in.

Less paperwork, more public service

What set Dayforce apart was its strength as a true human capital management (HCM) system. Carrollton had previously bundled HR and finance in the same solution – a common practice in government – but Carrollton’s HR leaders recognised it was time for a more modern, purpose-built platform. They needed specialised tools that could meet their unique needs.

Security was also a major factor. After experiencing a cyberattack, the city placed heightened importance on safeguarding sensitive employee data. “It really solidified that Dayforce was the right solution for us,” said Dean, after the city’s chief information security officer reviewed Dayforce and deemed it among the most secure systems he’d seen.

The city moved forward with Dayforce™ Recruiting, Benefits, Performance and the Experience Hub – laying the foundation for a more connected, intuitive HR ecosystem. But Carrollton didn’t just migrate to new software. They used the opportunity to drive real change.

“From the start, we refused to simply replicate old processes in the new Dayforce system,” said Dean. “The fact that it made [employees’] lives easier, that it made their processes easier, made any resistance a total afterthought. They embraced the new system.”

Powering progress in the hiring process 

Recruiting and onboarding were two areas where the impact was felt immediately. Carrollton needed tools that simplified hiring for everyone – from applicants to hiring managers. “It’s key in getting us access to that next-gen applicant pool,” said Dean.

With Dayforce, candidates can apply from their phones, select drug-screening locations to meet pre-employment requirements and stay informed throughout the process. This mobile accessibility helped the city engage a digital-native workforce – and drastically improved time-to-hire.

“Recruiting and hiring are now at our fingertips,” said Dean. “It's efficient for the applicants, it's efficient for the hiring managers and it's cut down our onboarding time by 50%. It's incredible.”

The results speak for themselves. In 2022, before implementing Dayforce, Carrollton’s vacancy rate hovered around 12%. Since going live with the platform in 2024, that number has dropped to just 2.75%. “Combining the efficiencies from the Recruiting module and our own proactive approach means we've seen the lowest vacancy rate in a very long time,” said Dean.

Transforming the employee experience

For Carrollton, HR transformation wasn’t just about workflows – it was about empowering people. The goal was to meet employees where they are, whether at home, on a job site or in the office.

Before Dayforce, the HRIS solution in place had limited ability for HR to customise the benefits enrolment experience and restricted the department’s ability to offer content and resources that their employees needed.  This resulted in high foot traffic and large call and email volumes requiring direct assistance from HR.

“We were looking for something that really solved that challenge for us,” said Dean. “Dayforce has done it tenfold.” The improved employee self-service experience allowed the HR team to focus more on strategic or critical tasks and less on answering general enquiries.

A standout feature has been the Dayforce Experience Hub – an interactive homepage where employees see timely news, updates and reminders every time they log in. It’s made high-touch communication easier during busy periods like benefits enrolment or performance evaluations.

Dayforce’s mobile application has also been a game-changer for the Carrollton workforce. “It’s just so easy for them to use,” said Li. “It’s been one of the biggest benefits we’ve seen since adopting Dayforce.” Whether updating personal information or managing benefits, employees can now do it all from their phones – on their schedule. “[Hiring managers] can open up the Recruiting module in Dayforce and look at their applicants while they're watching TV on a commercial break,” added Dean.

This shift has helped Carrollton stand out in a competitive labour market. Employees across departments – from field crews to senior leadership – are using Dayforce and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. “As soon as we went live with Dayforce, we got compliments on it,” said Dean. “Managers love having those applicants at their fingertips.”

Smarter decisions, stronger outcomes

With Dayforce, Carrollton’s HR leaders now have access to real-time data and intuitive dashboards – allowing them to make faster, smarter decisions across the organisation. “Dayforce has freed us from the traditional, very administrative, paper-heavy, HR function and allowed us to be strategic,” said Dean. “That’s not only efficient and effective for our government today - but it’s also setting us up for future success.”

Whether it’s tracking trends, monitoring retirements or measuring retention, HR can now deliver insights to leadership in a matter of clicks. “Dayforce really helps us pull those analytics to make long-term decisions,” said Dean. “I'm able to take the data I need to go and have conversations with the city manager regarding our strategic direction for the next ten years.”

Keeping the city on track – compliance made simple

Municipal government compliance is complex and Carrollton’s team was spending too much time manually managing rules, regulations and payroll requirements. “With the Dayforce automation and data mapping capabilities, we no longer have to worry about the smaller [compliance] details,” said Li.

Now, properly mapped data helps ensure that local, state and federal requirements are applied automatically, freeing up HR to focus on people, not paperwork.

An enduring partnership rooted in service and innovation

For Carrollton, Dayforce is more than software. It’s a partnership rooted in shared values: efficiency, trust and forward momentum. “If I had to sum up our partnership with Dayforce in a single phrase,” said Li, “it would be – what a dream.” 

“We’re excited to be in partnership and to have Dayforce be a key tool for us in operating the city,” added Dean. The city continues to explore new ways to innovate, especially with the AI capabilities within Dayforce. Their CIO sees AI as a force multiplier for operations.

“Our IT department is really excited to dive into the AI tool with Dayforce,” said Dean. Tools like the Dayforce Virtual Assistant are already helping reduce the burden on HR teams by triaging and answering recurring employee questions, allowing staff to focus on higher-impact work.

“We continue to look for ways we can best use Dayforce, so that our employees can focus on what they're hired to do,” said Dean. “Whether that’s pouring concrete, arresting bad guys or making sure library books are checked out on time, they don't have to worry about HR; Dayforce makes that easy for them.”