Evri, the UK’s biggest dedicated parcel delivery company, today announced a £1 million investment in its artificial intelligence (AI) strategy, to further transform its customer service and ensure parcels pass through its network smoothly.
The overarching aim of the strategic investment is focused on driving enhancements in customer service, including smarter use of data, enhancing parcel security and optimising workforce productivity, while in the future Evri will also explore and test the use of augmented reality headsets for couriers.
Its AI strategy will also help to further position Evri as a disruptor in parcel delivery and leader in AI adoption within the sector, and solidify its commitment to operational excellence, transforming operations and delivering better for its customers, clients, colleagues and couriers.
Evri’s AI strategy focuses on three key areas. First, it will further improve customer service, as AI will simplify, speed up and improve the consistency of its parcel delivery services by automating simple data collection and identification of issues. This will in turn free up Evri’s customer service team to focus on resolving more complex issues, leading to faster resolutions and a consistently higher quality of service.
Second, it will enhance parcel security through Evri implementing AI-powered tools. Using AI Evri will be able to more quickly identify, on the doorstep, if a parcel is being left in a highly safe place – as the tech will analyse data against previous delivery photos. The enhancements will also analyse claims data, and automatically check geo-location and delivery photos to identify potentially false claims. This builds on Evri’s existing ParcelVision technology, which checks every photo couriers take, in real time, to ensure the quality of delivery photos.
Finally, Evri will use AI to optimise workforce planning by analysing data and predicting future demands. This will ensure Evri will have the right people in the right place at the right time, improving efficiency and delivery success rates.
Evri, working in collaboration with AI consultancy Robiquity, has created a ‘AI Centre of Excellence’ team and recruited top talent to ensure it has the right people at the heart of its transformational work in AI. The strategy is already delivering tangible benefits; initial implementations have resulted in improved outputs and optimised operations, demonstrating the transformative power of AI.
Marcus Hunter, chief technology officer at Evri, said: “Our significant investment in AI underscores Evri’s commitment to continuous improvement and innovation. This strategy will empower our people and optimise our operations, ultimately enabling us to deliver a best-in-class experience for everyone we serve. It demonstrates that Evri is a tech-forward business and a really exciting place for new talent to work – we want to be the number one parcel delivery company globally.”
“We put a real focus on intelligent automation in the middle of 2023, and we have been supported by Robiquity for the start of this exciting journey. The team at Robiquity have been crucial in building the foundations – allowing us to move at pace with implementing the early stages of our strategy. The significant benefits achieved through Intelligent Process Automation in the first six months have given us the platform to explore other AI, with a view to implementing later technologies to help shape the future of our business.”
Evri aims to leverage augmented reality headsets in the future to significantly reduce the time it takes to bring in and train new couriers. As the situations couriers deal with on the doorstep can vary greatly, Evri will explore the use of headsets for couriers to experience real-life scenarios and how best to deal with them to achieve customer satisfaction.
Hunter commented: “We’re committed to supporting colleagues and helping them work smarter. AI will remove some of the mundane tasks, freeing them to focus on higher-value activities. Our AI strategy proves we’re committed to deploying cutting-edge tech and we’re quick to market. Moreover, the chosen AI technology has been evolving for 15 years, providing a proven track record that gives Evri confidence in its investment. Evri is a disruptor in the logistics industry known for its ability to deliver parcels quickly, efficiently, and often at a lower cost than competitors.”
James Procter, Chief Operating Officer at Robiquity, said: “We are delighted with the opportunity to support such a forward-thinking and ambitious business as Evri. They have an unwavering vision that AI can transform how they operate, and ultimately provide huge benefit to their customers. We are already seeing massive benefits delivered in the first six months, with much more to come. This is testament to the partnership approach adopted between us. We are looking forward to supporting Evri on their applied AI roadmap and celebrating further successes along the way.”
Marcus Hunter was recently acknowledged for his work in the top five of the CIO 100 Awards UK ranking.
