Background 

In March 2022 Evri (formerly Hermes UK), the UK’s largest dedicated parcel carrier, embarked on its biggest transformation project to date. The rebranding from Hermes to Evri was more than just a name change, it marked a shift aimed at improving operational efficiency, enhancing customer experience and reinforcing the company’s commitment to its workforce and partners. To achieve this Evri launched the Delivering Better initiative, designed to revolutionise its processes, particularly customer service.

With more than 730 million parcels delivered annually and 30,000 customer enquiries each week, manual processes used by customer service agents were unsustainable. Agents had to navigate multiple platforms, resulting in up to four minute response times per enquiry. This slowed service and created inconsistencies. As parcel volumes fluctuated – especially during Christmas – Evri needed a scalable, efficient solution to meet demand and improve service standards.

Approach 

Evri’s solution was to integrate intelligent automation into its customer service operations, enabling agents to handle enquiries faster and more accurately. The centrepiece was an AI-powered app, built with Robiquity, to streamline workflows. This intuitive app automated tasks like retrieving parcel details, updating CRM systems and sending email responses. Deployed via Microsoft Teams, agents could now use dropdowns and tick boxes to input information, ensuring consistency and reducing errors. This led to a significant reduction in enquiry handling times to just one minute.

“Evri’s ‘Delivering Better’ initiative has transformed customer service operations, reducing enquiry handling time by 75% and boosting customer satisfaction”

A key priority was scalability. The solution was designed for up to 100,000 enquiries per week during peak periods without increasing handling times, giving Evri flexibility to adapt to demand. Despite challenges such as compressed testing timelines and additional governance requirements the change was delivered on time and within budget.

Outcome

The introduction of intelligent automation cut enquiry handling time by 75%, saving Evri 441,000 hours annually. This efficiency gain allowed the company to improve service levels without increasing staffing costs.

Customer satisfaction rose from 82% to 87%. The improvement benefited not only customers but also retail partners, as happier customers are more likely to make repeat purchases. Evri’s customer enquiry resolution rates jumped from 45% to 91% in 12 months.

Evri is now investing £1 million in further AI advancements. Its commitment to technology continues to strengthen its market position, delivering superior service for customers, partners and employees alike.