BCU transforms HR with a single system and AI-powered support

BCU was built on a simple belief: people thrive when they have the support and tools to take charge of their financial lives. For over 40 years, the not-for-profit credit union has helped employees and their families achieve financial freedom with care, clarity, and a sense of community. As expectations for modern experiences grew, BCU saw an opportunity to bring that same commitment to its own employees.

HR from scratch, but make it smarter

When BCU separated from Baxter Healthcare and became an independent organization, the HR team needed to build an HR function from scratch. “In the previous arrangement, we were using someone else’s system designed for an entirely different population,” said Ben Fingard, Senior Manager of HR Systems and Operations at BCU. “This was our chance to make it our own.”

Maintaining continuity was critical as systems were rebuilt. “With Dayforce, it was very easy to get the hang of it and build it correctly,” Fingard said. BCU selected the Dayforce platform as its single system to unify HR, time, payroll, and talent management across the employee life cycle, bringing recruiting, onboarding, workforce management, and learning together in one place – along with built-in AI – helping simplify how employees get work done.

“What stood out about Dayforce was the all-in-one platform. We saw huge value in having all of that data in one place and making Dayforce a one-stop shop for employees,” he said.

That flexibility allowed BCU to redesign workflows, personalize onboarding, and establish Dayforce Hub as a branded home base for employees. “Hub gives people a familiar place that incorporates BCU branding. It reduces navigation and friction and gives them the most pertinent information and actionable items,” he added.

Putting AI to work for the people who do the work

With its HR foundation in place, BCU turned its focus to the future. The organization wanted technology that would help transform how employees access information and support. That’s where Dayforce AI Assistant came in. Fingard described AI as a natural extension of BCU’s people-first philosophy. “We knew it was important to use AI to help enhance the employee experience,” he said. “Quicker access to information and greater self-service were huge priorities for us.”

Before rolling out Dayforce AI Assistant broadly, the HR team stress-tested it through an internal exercise they called Promptapalooza, gathering in a room to ask it hundreds of questions. “We monitored the response quality and used the reporting tools on anything we rated negatively,” he explained. “We wanted to guarantee good results when we went live.” BCU also prepared employees by sharing education resources, desk drops, and a prompt library so people could understand what to ask and how the technology worked. The results were immediate and measurable. Dayforce AI Assistant now answers about 300 employee questions every month, helping HR reclaim between 300 and 400 hours a year. That time has allowed the team to focus on more strategic initiatives, like building a skills taxonomy, enhancing analytics, and even redesigning how interns are paid.

As adoption grew, BCU paired its AI Assistant with Dayforce HR Service Delivery to create a continuous feedback loop. By monitoring the types of questions and cases employees submit, the HR team can quickly identify where content is missing or unclear and update it accordingly. “With HR Service Delivery, we start seeing cases pop up around certain topics. If we didn’t have content that could help employees self-serve, we created it. Over time, those topics stop appearing in our case management system, and it just continues to optimize from there,” he said.

Dayforce AI Assistant has given BCU’s HR team the space to focus on higher-value work, and Fingard sees even more opportunity ahead. “With Dayforce AI Assistant so far, I think this is just the beginning. We look forward to more agentic capabilities that can help further automate tasks employees handle on a daily basis,” he said.

A partnership built for what’s next

For BCU, the relationship with Dayforce goes beyond technology. Fingard describes the partnership as highly collaborative, with consistent access to product experts and leadership. “Everyone makes themselves available,” he said. “The accessibility of the product teams and the executive team is really unheard of.”

That openness has helped BCU stay closely aligned with innovation and has positioned the credit union as a reference point for others exploring AI in HR. Leaders from larger organizations now look to BCU for insight, and Fingard welcomes the exchange. “We’re happy to share our insights and also learn from others. This is such a new area, and we’re just getting started,” he said.

Where time and pay work in sync

By unifying workforce management (WFM) and payroll in the Dayforce platform, BCU created a more reliable and streamlined approach to pay. Time and attendance data flows directly into payroll, reducing manual effort and helping BCU ensure employees are paid accurately and on time. “The modules talk to each other,” said Fingard. “WFM and Payroll work together to ensure accurate and timely pay.” That connection has made a noticeable difference for employees. “People love entering their time into the system. WFM has been a huge benefit to our employee population,” he noted.

To reinforce that foundation, BCU partnered with Dayforce Managed Payroll for added expertise and consistency. “We didn’t have a ton of payroll internal expertise, so partnering with Managed Payroll helped us get through that transition,” Fingard said. Today, Managed Payroll continues to support BCU’s payroll operations, providing a dependable, structured process each pay cycle.

Managed Payroll adds confidence to every pay cycle. “It’s routine, it’s around the clock, and you can count on it,” he said. With calculations and commits handled by Dayforce, BCU’s team can focus more on auditing and assurance. “They support the commits while we look at the data. Together, we ensure we have the most accurate and timely payroll possible,” he said proudly.

Talent that reflects the BCU experience

Attracting and retaining the right people is about more than filling roles at BCU. It’s about creating a talent journey that reflects the care and clarity the credit union delivers to its members.

Dayforce Talent provides BCU with the flexibility to shape the experience candidates and new hires have with the organization from day one. Branded job postings, streamlined recruiting, and a structured onboarding experience help set clear expectations and reinforce BCU’s culture early. “Dayforce Talent products help us attract and retain the right people,” Fingard said. “Having our own branded job board and a great onboarding module really helps tailor the experience when you join our company.”

Onboarding has become a moment to connect employees to BCU’s mission while helping them get productive faster. Clear tasks, guidance, and timelines help reduce confusion during those first weeks. He shared that, “being able to give people tasks and organize what they need to do in those crucial first few weeks has really helped.”

Learning is another area of impact. With Dayforce Learning integrated into the same system, employees can access development opportunities without needing to switch platforms. “Getting best-in-class courses made available for people has been really beneficial, and with a mobile-friendly experience, it’s made learning much more accessible for our workforce,” he said. Together, recruiting, onboarding, and learning form a connected talent journey that will support long-term growth.

Experience that keeps employees coming back

BCU’s workforce expects tools that are modern, mobile, and intuitive. With the Dayforce platform, employees can access information across locations and devices, making it easier to find information, complete tasks, and stay engaged throughout the workday. “Giving employees the option to log in on web or mobile has been a huge benefit,” Fingard explained. “Dayforce helps us meet the expectations of the modern workforce.” That day-to-day experience reduces friction and supports self-service, helping employees focus on their work rather than navigating systems.

Tech that frees people to focus on what matters

At its core, BCU’s purpose is to Empower People to Discover Financial Freedom. The Dayforce platform supports that mission by giving employees one place to access what they need, so they can focus on the meaningful work of helping members rather than navigating systems. “Giving our employees one platform to access information, complete tasks, and focus on the work they’re meant to do is invaluable,” Fingard said.

For organizations considering Dayforce, his advice is straightforward. “Use the platform as an opportunity to build it the way you’d like to build it,” he said. “You can truly make it your system for your employees.”