Zest has launched an AI Benefit Consultant to give employees round-the-clock information about their benefits and HR policies.
The tool is available through Zest’s platform and answers questions in plain language using each employee’s benefits package and their employer’s policy documents.
It covers private medical insurance, salary sacrifice, gym benefits, mental health support, and maternity and paternity leave.
The tool does not use external online sources or general information.
It cites the documents used and directs employees to the relevant HR contact when an answer is unavailable.
The service is available to all Zest customers and aims to reduce routine queries handled by HR teams.
Antonio Barradas, regional managing director of Epassi, said: “Benefits are a significant investment for employers, but their value is only realised when employees understand and use them.
“Too often, employees struggle to find the information they need, while HR teams spend valuable time answering the same questions again and again.
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“Our AI Benefit Consultant brings the opportunity to fundamentally change that experience, giving employees instant, 24/7 access to trusted answers grounded solely in their organisation’s own benefits information, making it easier for them to understand what’s available and make informed decisions when it matters.”
Barradas added: “For employers, this is about more than efficiency.
“By removing routine administration, we can give HR teams greater capacity to focus on the strategic work that drives engagement, strengthens the employee experience and ultimately delivers more value from their benefits investment.
“This is where we believe AI can have a meaningful impact: not replacing the human role of HR but removing friction around it and making benefits work better for both employees and employers.”
Graham Meinke, chief product and innovation officer at Zest, said: “Employee support can’t stop once HR teams log off.
“Our new AI Benefit Consultant ensures that employees have access to answers to their questions whenever they need it.
“We created the AI Benefit Consultant to remove some of the common barriers to access, helping employees find simple answers to benefits and HR questions in an instant.”
Meinke added: “The tool will only draw on an individual’s benefits data and internal HR policies to ensure it delivers accurate and reliable responses to employees’ questions and alleviates pressure on HR teams.
“By making complex policies easier to navigate, we’re helping employees get more value from the support available to them, and maximising employers’ return on their benefits investment.”