- Business: AFL
- Location: Tampa, Florida
- Interesting Fact about AFL: AFL is experiencing rapid growth in the Data Center industry.
- Interesting Fact about Dave Dallmann: He has been in the technology construction industry since 1992.
When Dave Dallmann joined AFL as Director of Operations-Data Centers three years ago, time tracking felt like a constant headache. The company was large and complex, with employees working across the United States, on high-tech projects like data centers, fiber optics, security systems, and infrastructure. But its time-tracking process was complicated, and Dave knew there had to be a way to simplify their process. Once they started testing ezClocker, the answer was clear: The app was certainly the answer to all of their time-tracking woes.
Big Company, Individual Time-Tracking Approaches
AFL is the American subsidiary of Fujikura, a telecommunications company in Japan that offers thousands of services in 120 countries around the world. With hundreds of employees and various services across the industry, AFL used several methods to track employees’ time and run payroll.
“When I came on board three years ago, it was very concerning because they would send in text messages, emails, voicemail,” Dave says.
“They would use chat platforms like Teams. Some would directly input their own time into our payment system. It’s sarcastic, but everything up to and including writing it on napkins and snapping a photo.”
Thus, the constant time-tracking headache. The inconsistent processes led to messy spreadsheets, missing times, and tons of back-and-forth just to run payroll.
The operational process needed a revamp. Dave was ready to tackle it head-on.
A Better System Starts Small
Rather than overhaul everything overnight, Dave took a measured approach. Instead, he spent time observing, understanding the workflows, and identifying where improvements could make the biggest impact.
“When I came on as a new person, you can’t walk in and just shake the box,” Dave says. “I had to observe and get my head wrapped around how this could be better and more consistent and reliable and verifiable.”
Dave was first introduced to time tracking software over a decade ago, including using a system called TimeStation at a previous employer. When he began searching for a time tracking system for AFL, he started from scratch, searching Google for a glimpse at the available options.
Then, he found ezClocker and, after a quick comparison to other platforms, quickly realized it had everything he needed to revamp the time tracking process at AFL.
“It was ezClocker from the beginning,” Dave says. “…By way of comparison and cost effectiveness, I quickly jumped on board and tried it and was thrilled with the results right out of the gate.”
The Right Features at the Right Price
With a platform identified, Dave was ready to make his move, so he asked leadership for the opportunity to try a small pilot program in Florida.
“Right pricing, right formula made it easier to persuade leadership to give it a try,” Dave says. “It checks all the boxes, and it wasn’t so expensive that we weren’t willing to try it.”
The pilot program consisted of a few employees, with Dave administering it himself to learn the ins and outs of the app, from setting up new users to approving time sheets. He also began creating a system around it to make a larger rollout even more seamless.
Dave created step-by-step guides, complete with screenshots and instructions. He walked through real scenarios: clocking in, taking lunch breaks, switching between job sites, and using notes to track job numbers. He even developed a custom “cheat sheet” so employees could easily follow along.
After finishing the small test run, he began rolling ezClocker out to 20-30 people for a larger pilot program, using the cheat sheet to give new users a taste of what to expect.
Instant Results, Larger Rollout
The results came quickly.
Employees could clock in from anywhere using their phones. GPS stamp added a layer of verification, and the Notes field allowed teams to track time across multiple job sites in a single day. Approving time sheets, which once required hours of back-and-forth, suddenly became simpler.
“Approving time sheets takes a fraction of the time it used to,” Dave says. “I’m no longer spending evenings fixing simple mistakes.”
With the results in hand, Dave made the case to scale. From Florida, the rollout expanded to Georgia, the Carolinas, and beyond, eventually reaching teams in multiple regions and business units. Now, approximately 220 employees are using ezClocker, a number that will continue to expand as more employees join the company.
“It just took a pilot program to convince everyone to see the light of how helpful it was,” Dave says.
Better Operations and More Accountability
For AFL employees using ezClocker, the change marked a big operational shift – and led to a sigh of relief.
“People were like, ‘Thank God I don’t have to send emails or texts anymore,’” Dave says.
The simplified process made expectations clear and kept employees accountable. ezClocker’s GPS verification feature showed where people clocked in and out, making it easier for Dave and his team to keep track of employees in the field.
“Those who embraced it recognized the value and ease of it,” Dave says.
Now, ezClocker plays a critical role in day-to-day operations. It supports payroll by providing accurate, real-time data. It helps validate subcontractor invoices by comparing reported hours. And it gives Dave and his team something they didn’t have before: visibility.
“It allows for remote governance,” he says. “We can manage teams across the country and know what’s happening. What I appreciate most is that it just works – no fuss, no complicated setup,” Dave says. “It’s saved us time, reduced stress, and given us a much clearer picture of our day-to-day operations.”
Looking Ahead
As AFL continues to grow, ezClocker scales with it. When new employees and contractors come on board, they use ezClocker, allowing Dave and his team to organically grow their use throughout the company.
And the relationship between AFL and ezClocker is growing, too. When Dave and his team reach out about potential new features, like the ability to convert times from an hour format to a decimal format, ezClocker goes beyond just listening. Their team is implementing suggestions, making the platform even more useful.
“When we’ve requested enhancements, they’ve done a great job listening and implementing those ideas,” Dave says. “That was a pleasant surprise.”
In other words, ezClocker just keeps getting better. The platform has turned a fragmented, time-consuming process into a system that’s streamlined and easy to manage.
“If you’re thinking about trying it,” Dave says. “I’d definitely recommend it.”
