Employee experience is becoming the defining benchmark for evaluating workplace benefits technology, according to new research from InComm Benefits. A survey of more than 300 HR professionals found that organizations are increasingly prioritizing intuitive spending account platforms, employee education, and AI-powered support as they seek to reduce administrative complexity surrounding Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and other tax-advantaged benefits. The findings underscore a broader shift in HR technology, where benefits platforms are expected to improve workforce engagement while easing operational burdens for HR teams.
The employee benefits landscape is evolving beyond traditional account administration as organizations place greater emphasis on digital employee experiences. New research released by InComm Benefits, a division of InComm Payments, suggests that employers are reassessing spending account providers based less on pricing and more on how effectively their technology supports employees throughout the benefits journey.
The company’s 2026 HR Leaders Survey, which gathered responses from more than 300 HR professionals managing Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and other spending accounts, found that 73% of respondents consider employee feedback the most important factor when reevaluating spending account providers. The result reflects a growing expectation that HR technology platforms should simplify benefits administration while improving employee understanding and engagement.
The survey points to a persistent disconnect between employer expectations and employee experiences. Nearly six in ten HR professionals reported regularly addressing employee questions about spending accounts, with inquiries commonly focused on eligible healthcare purchases, reimbursement claims, account usage, contribution deadlines, and rollover policies.
These findings suggest that many employees continue to struggle with benefits literacy despite broader investments in digital HR systems. As HR departments take on expanding responsibilities—including recruitment, payroll, compliance, workforce communications, and employee wellbeing—benefits-related support requests can significantly increase administrative workloads.
The research also identifies technology as one of the clearest opportunities for improvement. Fifty-five percent of respondents believe more flexible benefit options would enhance employee satisfaction, while 52% pointed to simplified educational resources and another 52% highlighted better technology as priorities for improving the overall spending account experience.
The findings align with a broader trend across enterprise HR software, where employee-facing experiences increasingly influence purchasing decisions. Modern HR platforms are moving beyond record management toward delivering consumer-like digital experiences that reduce friction throughout the employee lifecycle.
Artificial intelligence is also becoming more deeply integrated into benefits administration. According to the survey, 55% of HR professionals expressed enthusiasm about AI tools within their HR departments, while 57% already use AI for benefits education or employee training.
Rather than replacing HR professionals, AI is increasingly being deployed to answer common employee questions, personalize educational content, automate routine administrative workflows, and improve self-service capabilities. These use cases mirror broader enterprise HR technology developments seen across platforms from Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle, ADP, and Microsoft, all of which continue expanding AI-powered assistants and workflow automation across workforce management applications.
For HR leaders, this reflects a growing expectation that benefits platforms should function as intelligent engagement tools rather than simply repositories for account information.
InComm Benefits argues that spending account providers can reduce administrative burdens by making benefits easier to understand and use. The company has introduced several capabilities aimed at simplifying account management, including Automated Purchase Sorting, digital education resources, faster reimbursement access, an HSA Backup Account, a 2% Cash Back HSA, and dedicated account management designed to improve both employee and employer experiences.
While these capabilities address common pain points identified in the survey, they also illustrate how competition within the HR benefits technology market is shifting. Vendors increasingly differentiate themselves through employee usability, automation, AI-enabled support, and integrated digital experiences rather than traditional account administration alone.
This evolution is particularly relevant as organizations continue investing in digital workplace infrastructure. Benefits platforms are becoming part of broader HR technology ecosystems alongside human capital management (HCM), payroll systems, workforce analytics, learning platforms, and employee experience software.
Industry analysts have identified employee experience as a major priority for HR technology investment. According to Gartner, organizations are increasingly adopting AI-powered HR applications to improve workforce productivity, automate administrative work, and enhance employee interactions. Meanwhile, McKinsey & Company has reported that employees are more likely to engage with workplace programs when digital experiences are intuitive, personalized, and easy to navigate.
For enterprise HR teams, the survey reinforces that spending account technology is no longer viewed as a back-office function. Instead, it has become an important component of the overall employee experience strategy, influencing workforce satisfaction, benefits utilization, and HR operational efficiency.
As AI capabilities mature and employee expectations continue to rise, organizations are likely to place greater emphasis on benefits platforms that combine automation, education, responsive support, and seamless digital experiences. The latest findings suggest that providers capable of reducing complexity while empowering employees may gain a competitive advantage in the rapidly evolving HR technology market.
Market Landscape
The market for employee benefits technology is rapidly converging with broader HR SaaS and employee experience platforms. Organizations increasingly expect HSA and spending account providers to integrate with enterprise HR ecosystems that include Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle HCM, ADP, and Microsoft productivity tools.
AI-powered employee support, self-service benefits guidance, workflow automation, and personalized education are emerging as key differentiators. As HR leaders seek to reduce administrative overhead while improving workforce engagement, benefits technology vendors are competing on digital experience, interoperability, analytics, and intelligent automation rather than basic account management.
Top Insights
- Employee experience now drives provider evaluations, with 73% of HR professionals prioritizing employee feedback when assessing HSA and spending account platforms, signaling a shift toward user-centric HR technology.
- Benefits education remains a challenge, as nearly six in ten HR teams regularly answer employee questions about eligibility, claims, reimbursements, deadlines, and account usage.
- AI adoption continues to expand in HR, with more than half of surveyed organizations already using AI to improve benefits education and administrative support.
- Technology modernization is becoming essential, as HR leaders seek flexible benefits, intuitive digital experiences, and automation to reduce administrative workloads.
- Benefits platforms are evolving into employee experience tools, aligning with broader enterprise HR transformation initiatives focused on engagement, self-service, and workforce productivity
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