The convenience of ordering online often clashes with the hassle of waiting at home for a delivery. Rather than forcing customers to plan their day around a parcel, Evri is deploying Microsoft AI tools to meet shoppers exactly where they are. Marcus Hunter, CTO at Evri, explains how a methodical rollout of Microsoft 365 Copilot, custom super-agents and drone-powered logistics will eventually deliver individually tailored experiences to 25 million UK customers.
Tackling Supply Chain Challenges
Evri's UK parcel network must flex dynamically to meet changing consumer demand. The business delivers one billion parcels and one billion business letters annually to 25 million households and businesses, powered by a managed workforce of more than 30,000 couriers, with 6,000 to 10,000 more recruited during peak periods such as Christmas or Black Monday.
Hunter explains that issues like damaged labels or mis-routed parcels create "unhappy paths" that require fast resolution, and handling them efficiently is vital for customer satisfaction. To prevent these operational issues, Evri has spent several years building a robust digital foundation in secure cloud environments, beginning AI and automation testing three years ago.
Early AI testing in the customer contact centre helped populate records and produce summaries, saving 500,000 hours of manual work while helping retain UK support jobs. Evri has also built a custom vehicle tracking system using Microsoft Power Apps to monitor van size, route details and servicing dates, contributing to roughly £34m (US$44.2m) in savings over three years.
A Controlled Copilot Deployment
The next step in Evri's digital journey is a methodical rollout of Microsoft 365 E7 to back-office employees, Microsoft's latest product suite including Microsoft 365 Copilot, Agent 365, Microsoft Entra and Microsoft Defender. Hunter wants a central view of AI agents, identity and governance controls, and security protection for agents working when people aren't.
Evri is deploying 6,000 Microsoft 365 Copilot licences by the end of September 2026 to assist with drafting and finding information, beginning with the finance, procurement and legal teams. Rather than issuing licences broadly and hoping for adoption, Hunter is prioritising a deliberate, phased approach.
To avoid a workplace cluttered with separate bots, Evri is developing five "super-agents" to handle tasks for couriers, clients and customers. The company already uses "Hey Charlie" for HR tasks in Teams and "Eva" for technology, with future use cases potentially including contract checks and annual leave booking, an approach designed to simplify the technology for the workforce.
"Everybody talks about personalisation. But we've never had the tools to do personalisation properly before. Now we do."— Marcus Hunter, Chief Technology Officer, Evri
Verifying Deliveries at the Doorstep
AI is also helping Evri verify deliveries by scanning parcels and checking photos of safe places, with systems confirming whether the package matches a customer's stated delivery preference. Customers can upload specific safe-place coordinates and photographs through the mobile app to guide couriers directly.
This clearer communication between customer and courier helps prevent delivery errors and reduce complaints, turning what was once a guessing game into a more precise, individually guided drop-off.