The Perekrestok network will use AI to reduce the outflow of couriers

As TAdviser found out, the Perekrestok chain of stores (part of the X5 Group) decided to introduce an automated system for conducting courier surveys through instant messengers. From the documentation for the request for proposals from potential suppliers, which Perekrestok placed at the end of August 2025 at one of the open procurement sites, it follows that the company requires automation of this process to receive feedback from couriers, reduce outflow, assess the level of satisfaction with adaptation and increase the share of reactivated.

The project involves the introduction of a ready-made chatbot software solution for conducting structured surveys of couriers "who are partners of the company" through instant messengers.

The system is required to recognize the responses of respondents in free form and return to the conversation scenario using AI, follows from the terms of reference. The required functionality includes semantic analysis: recognition of keywords and semantic constructs in final text responses, highlighting emotional colors and basic topics of circulation.

It is also planned to use a system for automatic classification of responses by given categories using machine learning algorithms to improve categorization accuracy.

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Фото: X5 Group Press Office

In addition, among the functions will be the presence of analytics and reporting on the results of surveys with the identification of the proportion of responses for each level and scenario with the ability to track in real time. Reporting involves, among other things, a qualitative analysis of the consequences of the response: the results of semantic analysis of text comments with the identification of key topics, problems and emotional colors.

The system should provide for the possibility of self-addition and adjustment of scenarios by "Crossroads." Multilevel scenarios are assumed: setting up to five different types of surveys for different categories of couriers/contacts (beginners, absent, non-calls, etc.), taking into account the specifics of each group and the goals of the survey.

The planned volumes of data processing in the system are as follows: as of September 2025, it is planned to process 10,905 dialogs and messages with a delivery level of 85%, and as of March 2026, a similar indicator is laid down already in 27,496. The indicators are calculated by months for the period up to July 2026 - this, the last month provides for the processing of up to 16,477 processed dialogues and messages.

The maximum daily load is up to 1,000 dialogues per day, and the maximum hourly load is up to 150 simultaneous dialogues. In this case, the system should be designed taking into account the reserve of productivity of at least 20% of the maximum planned indicators to ensure stable operation at peak loads.

The organizational outline of the project is not specified in the procurement documentation - whether the system for receiving feedback will be implemented only in the Perekrestok network, which acts as the organizer of this purchase, or also in other X5 Group store chains. X5 Group at the time of publication was unable to answer TAdviser questions related to the new project.

Note that recently the demand for courier services has been growing in Russia. So, at the end of 2024, couriers entered the top 15 most popular professions in the country, overtaking design engineers, locksmiths and programmers, according to a study hh.ru^[1]. For two years, the need for couriers in the Russian labor market has almost doubled, by 97%. However, in the second half of 2025, a slight decrease in courier vacancies was recorded - by 7%^[2]. It is likely that this phenomenon is seasonal in nature.

Earlier in its Annual Report for 2024^[3] stated that labor shortages are one of the key negative factors for the grocery retail market, exacerbating competition for labor resources and putting pressure on business margins. At the same time, the "outflow of migrants and the current demographic situation" will contribute to the preservation of personnel hunger in the future. According to forecasts, the personnel deficit in trade, logistics and catering can reach 13% - 230-500 thousand people in each of the industries in 2028.

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