Case Study: Arez.io Delivers Smarter Job Management for Citipost with AI-Powered Precision

i2i, part of the Citipost Group, needed a smarter job management platform capable of handling compliance, maintenance and reactive tasks at scale. Their existing platform was slow, highly administrative and difficult to adapt, making it hard to keep pace with growing workloads and evolving client requirements. They needed a single system that could bring together supplier compliance, planned preventive maintenance and reactive job management while integrating with client portals and reducing administrative effort and cost.

Built around i2i’s workflows and integrated with their colleague portal, Arez.io now manages job activity across more than 1,300 retail stores nationwide. By automating repetitive tasks and highlighting at-risk jobs before deadlines, Arez helps i2i save time, improve compliance accuracy and maintain a consistently high service level. A single connected platform now oversees everything from new requests to completed works, remedials and invoicing, supported by API integration, custom dashboards, interactive map views and client-facing reports built exactly to i2i’s preferred structure. The result is faster decision-making, real-time operational visibility and a smarter model for job management at scale.

Customer Overview

Citipost Group is the UK’s largest privately owned distribution company, dispatching over 60,000 parcels per week. i2i, part of Citipost, supports high street businesses with print, sourcing, and delivery consolidations, covering more than 50,000 miles per week to keep retail operations running smoothly.

Their focus on innovation and sustainability drives continuous improvement through fewer deliveries, reduced waste, lower carbon footprint, and improved on-time performance. As part of their high street solutions, i2i delivers a range of support services to over 1,300 high-street stores, delivering both planned and reactive maintenance. To manage these services efficiently, i2i needed a smarter job management platform capable of handling compliance, maintenance, and reactive tasks at scale.

The Challenge

i2i’s operations are complex. They manage multiple service partners, track compliance across hundreds of suppliers, and coordinate jobs across sites nationwide.

While they already had a job management platform in place, the process was slow, highly administrative, and lacked meaningful insight. The system was also expensive and inflexible; custom changes were costly and time-consuming, and it could not easily integrate with new workflows or client requirements.

To keep up with their growing workload and evolving client demands, i2i needed a smarter, more dynamic solution that could bring together three core areas of their operation: supplier compliance, planned preventive maintenance (PPM), and reactive job management. They wanted a single platform that would integrate seamlessly with their client portals, deliver real-time visibility across all operations, and reduce administrative effort and cost.

Smarter Supplier Compliance

i2i manages more than 40 service partners across maintenance categories, including roofing, plumbing, and electrical. Arez has transformed how i2i handles supplier onboarding and compliance management by automating what was once a time-consuming, manual process.

Suppliers now complete an easy-to-use digital questionnaire that gathers all required information, from company and contact details to financial data, insurance certificates, ISO accreditations, and other key documentation. The platform automatically digitises and links this evidence to confirm supplier competencies, ensuring a complete compliance record for every partner.

The built-in AI Compliance Monitor continuously checks documentation, tracks expiry dates, and alerts suppliers when renewals are due, maintaining compliance effortlessly and giving i2i real-time confidence in their supply chain.

Planned Preventive Maintenance (PPM)

Delivering PPM tasks across more than 1,300 sites requires precision and control. The Arez PPM module automates job creation based on task frequency, from annual emergency lighting tests to five-year EICR inspections, with workflows tailored specifically to i2i’s operational requirements.

Using the platform, i2i assigns suppliers to each PPM task through flexible filters such as site location and job category to identify the most suitable partner. Once a job is completed, suppliers upload the relevant certificates directly into the system, where they are automatically stored, tracked, and validated.

Powered by AI, Arez reviews each inspection result to identify pass or fail outcomes, automatically identifying remedial jobs where necessary to ensure timely resolution.

Reactive Job Management

After six months of successfully managing PPMs through Arez, i2i also transitioned its reactive service to the platform, replacing its previous job management system. The reactive module is now central to daily operations and is used by the i2i helpdesk team of ten and integrates directly with the in-store colleague portal where FM issues are initially raised with i2i.

Through either direct entry or the integrated API, incoming job requests are instantly captured in Arez. Supported by powerful AI automation, the system automatically creates job details, allowing i2i to request supplier quotes, approve works, and assign jobs within minutes.

Dashboards give the helpdesk real-time visibility into SLAs, highlighting at-risk or overdue jobs, while a "non-trading shop" filter flags locations requiring urgent attention to ensure service continuity across all sites.

How i2i Uses Arez.io

With both PPM and reactive services unified on Arez, i2i benefits from a single connected platform that manages every aspect of job management, from new requests to completed works, including remedials and invoicing.

Key features and functions include:

• Unified job management for PPM and reactive services, providing a single view of all activity across 1,300 sites.
• Custom dashboards for performance tracking, including PPM progress, SLA adherence, and supplier activity, with detailed drill-downs by site and job type.
• Client-facing reports custom-built to i2i’s specifications, developed by the Arez team to match their preferred reporting layout and data structure.
• Interactive map views showing all jobs across the UK, designed specifically around how i2i wanted to visualise their data.
• Engineer support through the Arez app and on-site tablets for booking on and off jobs, with photo verification for accurate tracking of time on site
• Invoicing tools that use real-time delivery and job completion data to generate accurate invoices, improving contractor billing and enabling auto-approval based on verified site attendance
• Operational insights that help i2i monitor supplier attendance and manage on-site activity in real time.
• Tailored PPM workflows co-developed with i2i, now adopted by other Arez clients.
• Scalable platform supporting 94 active users, including 57 service partners, integrated via API with i2i’s client-facing portal for full visibility and control of maintenance activity.

AI in Action

By automating repetitive tasks and highlighting at-risk jobs before deadlines, Arez helps i2i save time, improve compliance accuracy, and maintain a consistently high service level.

• Arez’s AI capabilities has reduced the administrative burden and is enabling smarter job management. 
• Reactive jobs are automatically created from incoming helpdesk and portal requests. 
• Supplier competencies are validated through AI-powered document scanning and compliance checks.
• Certificates are assessed and identified remedial work— all without manual intervention.

“The AI-driven compliance checks, call triage and automated job prioritisation is proving to be a significant time saver, and is improving accuracy too. We’ve reduced manual admin and can focus on delivering service excellence for our clients.” — Graeme Buchan, CEO, i2i

In numbers:

• 1900+ tickets raised in the first 90 days 
• 600+ PPM tasks raised in the first 7 months 
• 40+ suppliers onboarded and monitored 
• 90+ platform users 
• 1,300 stores managed 

Why i2i Chose Arez.io

For i2i, choosing Arez was about partnership, innovation and cost certainty. They wanted a platform that could adapt to their business model, not the other way around. Arez’s flexible structure, straightforward pricing, and free engineer app made the transition easy, while the ability to co-develop features with the support from a dedicated Account Manager ensured the system evolved with their needs.

“Arez.io listened to what we needed and built it with us. The platform is incredibly powerful, and the support from the Arez team has been outstanding. It’s been a true partnership from day one.”
Graeme Buchan, CEO, i2i