Deutsche Post DHL Group's national campaign entitled "Become one of us" was launched last year and is still running, but the logistics company is now bringing its recruitment methods in Germany even more up to date. Applicants no longer need to fill in online forms, which are often seen as cumbersome and time-consuming, but can now simply apply directly via WhatsApp. The applicant will receive the telephone number for his WhatsApp registration via the website www.werde-einer-von-uns.de: A chatbot then asks for the necessary recruitment data step by step, and sends it automatically to the applicant management system. It is a virtual conversation in an everyday environment, which can be paused at any time and resumed later. All the data is continuously saved, and only DPDHL Group is able to access it. Introducing the WhatsApp chatbot makes DPDHL Group a German pioneer in high volume recruiting based on simplified applications.
Introducing the WhatsApp chatbot makes DPDHL Group a German pioneer in high volume recruiting based on simplified applications. In recent years, Germany has changed from an employer's market to an employee's market. To survive and to thrive, explains Thomas Ogilvie, Deutsche Post DHL Group Board Member for HR, it is essential to develop modern methods aimed at specific target groups: "The recruitment process must be dynamic, in constant development and tailored to the needs of the applicants. To reach potential applicants, we need to go to places where they are spending their time anyway." WhatsApp is ideal because it is one of the most popular communication platforms and the most widely used across Germany.
The new WhatsApp chatbot is not only guaranteed to reach the right target group, it also reduces the time between application and appointment – an important factor affecting decisions whether to continue or cancel the application process. There is evidence all around us of the need to keep that time as short as possible. "Our fast-moving environment throws up new challenges, and the recruitment process has to keep pace. We need to respond very quickly and in a user-centered way, and that's something the new WhatsApp chatbot allows us to do," explains Thomas Ogilvie.