What is an employee benefits app?
An employee benefits app is a digital platform where employees can access the benefits provided by their company.
Depending on the platform and the benefits offered by the employer, employees may be able to:
- View their group health insurance policy
- Check their coverage and benefits
- Add or manage dependents
- Raise and track insurance claims
- Book doctor consultations
- Book health checkups
- Access corporate wellness programs
- Get discounts and employee perks
- Use flexible benefits
- Access tax-saving benefits
For HR teams, these platforms can also make benefits easier to manage. HR can use them to add employees, manage policies, share benefit information, track claims, and understand how employees are using their benefits.
Why are startups using employee benefits platforms?
Startups usually have small HR teams. As the company grows, managing employee benefits through spreadsheets, emails, and different vendor portals can take up a lot of time.
An employee benefits platform can make this process simpler.
Easier benefits administration
A benefits platform can bring employee information, policies, claims, and other benefits into one place. This can reduce the amount of work involved in managing employee benefits.
Better employee experience
Employees don't always know what their company benefits include or how to use them. An app gives employees a place to check their benefits themselves. They can find information about their insurance, book healthcare services, raise claims, or use other benefits without asking HR for every small thing.
Easier onboarding
With a digital platform, new employees can get access to their insurance and other benefits after they join the company. HR can also share information about what is covered and how employees can use it.
Better visibility for HR
HR teams need to know whether employees are actually using the benefits they provide. Benefits platforms can give HR information about claims, enrollment, benefit usage, and employee participation. This can help HR understand what employees use and where they may need more support.
Popular employee benefits apps and platforms in India
Here are some platforms that companies in India can consider when building an employee benefits program.
1. Pazcare
Pazcare is an employee insurance and benefits platform for Indian companies. Its platform brings group insurance, doctor consultations, health checkups, wellness programs, and more Companies can use Pazcare to manage group health insurance, group personal accident insurance, group term life insurance, health top-ups, tax and wellness benefits.
Employees can use the Pazcare app to check their benefits, access digital health cards, raise and track claims, and access healthcare services. For HR teams, Pazcare provides benefits management, claims information, analytics, and HRMS integrations. Its flexible benefits product also allows employees to choose benefits based on the options and budget set by the employer.
2. Xoxoday Empuls
Xoxoday offers Empuls, an employee engagement platform. Empuls focuses more on employee engagement, rewards, recognition, perks, surveys, and benefits rather than being mainly a health insurance platform. Its current platform includes employee recognition, rewards, surveys and feedback, perks, wellness benefits, and a social intranet. Employees can receive rewards and recognition, access discounts, and use different benefits through the platform. Empuls also offers flexible spending options and benefits related to wellness and financial well-being.
3. Vantage Circle
Vantage Circle is an employee engagement platform that brings together recognition, rewards, well-being, perks, and employee feedback.
Its main products include employee recognition and rewards, employee wellness, corporate perks and discounts and employee surveys and feedback. For example, employees can receive recognition from managers and colleagues and redeem rewards. The platform also provides wellness programs and employee discounts.
4. Pluxee
Pluxee is known in India for employee meal benefits and also offers a wider employee benefits suite. Its platform can be used for benefits such as meal benefits, fuel, telecom, books and periodicals and more. Pluxee also provides an employee app where employees can manage their benefits and use their card for eligible expenses. The company offers a 2-in-1 card that combines meal benefits with other employee benefits. The benefits available to an employee depend on the company's policy.
5. MediBuddy
MediBuddy is a digital healthcare platform that also provides healthcare services for corporate employees.
For companies, MediBuddy offers access to services such as online doctor consultations, in-person consultations, medicine delivery, lab tests, health checkups, dental care and vision care These services can be made available to employees and, depending on the employer's plan, their family members as well. MediBuddy also offers corporate healthcare programs and wellness benefits that employees can access through its app.
How to choose an employee benefits app for your startup
There are many platforms in the market, but the right choice depends on what your employees need and what your HR team wants to manage.
Here are a few things to check before choosing a platform.
1. Benefits that match your workforce
Start with your employees' needs. For example, a young startup team may want mental health support, fitness, OPD, and flexible benefits. A team with more employees who have families may place more importance on group health insurance, dependent coverage, and parental benefits.
Look at factors such as:
- Employee age groups
- Locations
- Family size
- Number of dependents
- Employee preferences
2. Easy employee experience
The app should be easy to use. Employees should be able to quickly find information about their benefits without having to contact HR every time they have a question.
Check whether employees can easily:
- View their policy
- Check coverage
- Find network hospitals
- Raise claims
- Track claims
- Book healthcare services
- Use their benefits
3. Insurance and claims support
If your company offers group health insurance, check how the platform handles claims.
Look at:
A good digital experience is useful, but employees also need human support when they are dealing with a hospital stay or a difficult claim.
4. Healthcare and wellness options
Depending on your employees' needs, you may also want:
- Doctor consultations
- OPD
- Health checkups
- Mental health support
- Dental care
- Vision care
- Fitness programs
- Preventive healthcare
This can help you build a benefits program that employees can use throughout the year, not only when they need to make an insurance claim.
5. HRMS integrations
Check whether the platform works with the HR software your company already uses. An HRMS integration can make it easier to update employee information when someone joins, leaves, or changes their details. It can also reduce the need to enter the same information in multiple systems.
6. Reporting and analytics
HR teams should be able to see how employees are using their benefits.
Depending on the platform, this may include:
- Claims data
- Benefits usage
- Employee enrollment
- Wellness participation
- Spending
- Employee feedback
8. Customer support
Benefits can become complicated, especially when an employee needs help with a claim or hospitalization. Check what kind of support the platform provides to both HR teams and employees.
Look at:
- Phone support
- Email support
- Chat or WhatsApp support
- Dedicated account managers
- Claims support
- Response times
Want to see how Pazcare can work for your team? Talk to a benefits expert today.