DHL Deploys AI To Fill Retirement Gap as Third of German Workers Near Exit

DHL's German operations, facing the departure of one-third of support staff within five years, has automated customer service calls and begun capturing institutional knowledge through AI-conducted exit interviews. The company's voicebot now processes one million monthly calls, resolving half without human intervention, though initial deployments struggled with basic German language recognition.

FT adds: At DHL in Germany, one in three staff working in support operations will retire in the next five years, taking with them decades of institutional memory. 'Everyone in Germany understands that if you don't automate and use AI, you won't be able to deal with the shrinking workforce,' says Gemein [chief information officer for post and parcels].

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