Skip to main content
Marsh logo

Article

Using benefits technology to create seamless employee experiences

Benefits technology can personalize employee experiences to boost engagement while automating benefits delivery resulting in lower costs and reduced burdens.

31/07/2025 · 7 minute read

As employees become more aware of and vocal about the benefits they need and want, the days of providing a single benefit offering for all are coming to an end. Instead of designing benefits to meet the needs of the majority, increased benefit choice and personalisation has the potential to make everyone feel supported.

However, without also providing a way of enabling employees to easily navigate what’s on offer, enhanced benefits offerings can become cluttered and therefore poorly utilised.

Essential to realising the full value of a comprehensive benefits offering is putting in place a way for employees to engage with their benefits and seamlessly explore the options to find what’s right for them.

Benefits technology can help to achieve this in the following ways, while also automating this process, to deliver significant administration and costs savings for employers.

Personalize interactions

Budget restrictions and rules about which locations or grades are entitled to certain benefits often need to be taken into account when personalising benefits. The more benefits on offer, and the more diverse the workforce, the more complex these rules can become.

Fortunately, benefits technology is designed to not only handle this complexity but also take things further by using advanced algorithms to tailor benefits suggestions to individuals. For example, by only showing them the benefits they’re entitled to or signposting them to relevant benefits following a life event, such as the birth of a child or illness.

This form of automated communication can also boost engagement with benefits.

Two thirds (69%) of employees with access to an employee benefits platform said the benefits communications they receive are engaging, compared to just one in two (55%) of those without1.

Engage with employees

One of the biggest challenges associated with increasing benefits choice is the potential for information about benefits to become buried in emails, joiners’ packs and the intranet. Our research shows that just two thirds of employees know where to find information about their benefits.

By using employee benefits technology to centralise your benefits, you can make it possible for employees to access all their benefits via a digital front door such as an app on their mobile phone or Single Sign-On (SSO) access via their computer.

As well as making it easier for employees to connect with all their benefits in one place, this also enhances the user experience. Employees can seamlessly access a consistent benefits experience, at any time or place, regardless of which device they’re using.

Provide a globally consistent experience on a local level

Benefits technology enables you to create a globally consistent experience while ensuring that the benefits remain relevant to your employees locally at a country level. This means if an employee moves to another country, they won’t have to learn a new benefits system.

This level of cohesion also means that any changes to branding or services can also be updated globally without you having to go into multiple systems. The resulting consistency not only reduces complexity to the employee but also breeds efficiency, especially when it comes to cost efficiencies in terms of technology adoption and ongoing maintenance.

For example, if you change your Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provider, there might be a resulting change in service that has to be communicated across different regions. Employee benefits technology will allow you to do this once and translate consistent information, instead of you having to rewrite the content for thirty different countries.

Make people feel supported

The overriding objective of any employee benefits programme is to make people feel more supported and valued in their overall health and wellbeing. By using the data insights generated by employee benefits technology you can optimize the level of support you are providing to your employees and boost your employee value proposition.

As well as using automated rules to send email campaigns to different demographics, alerting them to different services at different times of the year, you can also use intelligent data insights to offer much more subtle guidance and suggestions.

This could take the form of pushing information about mental health services to the front of employee dashboards, or a card to signpost people towards financial wellbeing support. Research shows that this level of personalisation made 78% of employees feel that their employer cares about their health and wellbeing, compared to just 29% of employees without benefits personalisation2.

Communicate in real time

Employees often have questions about their benefits, such as the level of cover they’re entitled to or whether they can add a dependent. Waiting for HR or a benefits supplier to answer these queries can be time-consuming and frustrating.

By allowing employees to access real-time support, such as AI Chat Assistants, benefits technology can provide immediate assistance, reducing response times.

As well as enhancing the user experience, and reducing barriers to taking up benefits, this can also reduce HR administration time, which frees up HR resources to focus on more strategic and high-level objectives.

Automate processes

Another major benefit of employee benefits technology is the ease with which employees can enrol in benefits. 72% of employees with access to this technology said benefits enrolment was a straightforward process, compared to 60% of those without3.

That’s because instead of HR having to collate and forward benefits data to suppliers, the system automatically talks to payroll and benefits providers. This means employees can seamlessly self-serve themselves and enrol in benefits from the moment they join.

This level of automation also empowers them to manage their benefits themselves, for example, by opting-in to new benefits without this highly sensitive personal data having to be manually manipulated. Not only does this reduce cyber security data risks, but it also ensures employees are automatically added into schemes for a truly seamless experience.

Key take-aways

In today's rapidly evolving workplace, benefits technology plays a crucial role in enhancing employee experiences by streamlining processes and providing personalised solutions.

By leveraging advanced tools such as AI and automation, organisations can create a seamless benefits administration experience that not only simplifies enrolment and management but also tailors offerings to meet the unique needs of employees.

Furthermore, the integration of data analytics can help organisations identify trends and preferences, ensuring that benefits packages remain relevant and competitive.

As the benefits technology landscape continues to evolve, companies should consider the below strategic actions to stay ahead:

  • Investing in AI-driven platforms can enhance the personalisation of benefits offerings, allowing for a more tailored approach that resonates with diverse employee demographics.
  • Organisations should prioritize automation to reduce administrative burdens, freeing HR teams to focus on strategic initiatives that foster a positive workplace culture.
  • Regularly assessing and updating benefits technology will also be essential, ensuring that companies remain agile and responsive to changing employee needs and market trends.

By embracing these advancements, organisations can cultivate a more engaged and satisfied workforce, ultimately driving productivity and retention.

About Mercer Marsh Benefits

Mercer Marsh Benefits helps clients manage the costs, risks and complexities of employee health and benefits, through the combined expertise of Mercer and Marsh, businesses of Marsh McLennan (NYSE: MMC). Marsh McLennan is a global leader in risk, strategy and people, advising clients in 130 countries across four businesses: Marsh, Guy Carpenter, Mercer and Oliver Wyman. With annual revenue of over $24 billion and more than 90,000 colleagues, Marsh McLennan helps build the confidence to thrive through the power of perspective. For more information, visit marshmclennan.com, follow us on LinkedIn and X.

About Darwin

Darwin is a market-leading benefits technology platform trusted by hundreds of organisations around the world and covering more than 6 million lives in over 100 countries. With Darwin at the core of Mercer Marsh Benefit’s digital solutions ecosystem, we combine the best in benefits broking, advisory and seamless digital solutions to deliver unrivalled benefits technology expertise and a world-class integrated experience. For more information on our suite of digital benefits solutions visit Mercer Marsh Benefits.

About Benefits You App

Benefits You is the digital front door to an employer’s health and benefits ecosystem. Downloadable from the Apple and Google Play Stores, it enables employees simple, easy access to all their health and wellbeing offerings, including Single-Sign-On to Darwin. It also features push notification technology to ensure your employees never miss relevant benefits communications.

Speak with a Mercer Marsh Benefits representative

MMB can help you understand your data insights to refine your employee benefits strategy. To connect with us or to learn more about Darwin, please fill out the form.

Fill out the form

1 Health on Demand, Mercer Marsh Benefits (MMB), 2025

2 Health on Demand, Mercer Marsh Benefits (MMB), 2025

3 Health on Demand, Mercer Marsh Benefits (MMB), 2025

Our people

Ting Lye

Ting Lye

Global Proposition Development Manager, Mercer

  • United Kingdom

Simon Jarvis

Simon Jarvis

Head of Darwin Product Management, Mercer

  • United Kingdom