18. October 2022 | Personal
Interview with Joshua
The voice behind DPD: Our Joshua
DPD: ‘How long have you been working at DPD?’
Joshua: ‘I’ve been working at DPD since 18 October 2021.’
DPD: ‘How did you become aware of DPD and what made you apply?’
Joshua: ‘I have known about DPD since I was young because my mother has been working there for a long time. This allowed me to get to know the people in the company at an early age and gain lots of insights.
At the end of the day, that is why I applied. After studying business, I spent a long time living in Asia. Afterwards, I knew that I wanted to work in an office again and as I already knew about DPD and I liked the local area, I applied there.’
DPD: ‘What work do you do at DPD and what do you particularly like about it?’
Joshua: ‘When I first joined DPD, I was a front office specialist. In that role, I was responsible for responding to enquiries from customers and consignees over the phone. I am now a Marketing Coordinator in charge of developing and coordinating our digital services, such as myDPD or our chatbot “George”. I was also responsible for rolling out the chatbot. It was a very interesting and informative experience, I have to say.
When I was a front office specialist, I really enjoyed being able to gather lots of valuable feedback about our company’s processes through my proximity to our customers and consignees. I also got to experience using myDPD first hand, which really helps me in my new role as Marketing Coordinator. The experience I gained in customer service also helped me implement our chatbot.’
DPD: ‘Can you tell us something about the new chatbot? What can it do?’
Joshua: ‘Our chatbot is named George and it helps our consignees with any questions they might have about their parcels. In addition to showing the status and tracking history of parcels, it can handle all of the redirections we offer, such as changes to address or delivery time or adding a one-off signature release authorisation.’
DPD: ‘Name three advantages of the chatbot.’
Joshua: ‘Number one. It runs automatically and independently. Number two. It is available 24/7. Number three. It makes life easier for our customer service staff.’
DPD: ‘You said that you spent time abroad. Where did you go, what were your greatest revelations and how did you find being back here?’
Joshua: ‘After studying business and completing a two-month temporary assignment at DPD, I spent around three years travelling in Asia. I did it because I wanted to see something completely different. I spent most of that time in Thailand, where I worked in a bar that belonged to someone I knew. That gave me a certain degree of flexibility, including in terms of travelling around. It was a wonderful experience and I could spend hours talking about it.
I’ll keep it brief to avoid going on for too long. For me, I was most surprised by the thankfulness of the people who live there in spite of how modest and down-to-earth they are. They embraced the idea that less is more. The people there did not have much, yet they were very happy and content. That really made an impression on me.
I must admit that coming back after such a long time was challenging, because life went on in an environment that used to be familiar to me. At the start, it was a little strange to get reacquainted with the structure and the well-ordered daily routine. The sense of ease and of living from day to day was no longer there. It took some time, but now my head is fully back in the game and I am happy.’
DPD: ‘What is your favourite thing to do outside of work?’
Joshua: ‘I love mountain biking and playing guitar, I watch Netflix and I spend time with friends.’
DPD: ‘What is your favourite place in the world?’
Joshua: ‘My bed. 😉 But if you’re talking about a city, I would say Amsterdam. I very much enjoy being there.’
DPD: ‘Tell us about what you want most.’
Joshua: ‘What I want most is for us all to go back to living in harmony with the environment. To be more human and to stop being so wasteful. You can be thankful for so much and I believe that you have to keep reminding yourself of that.’
DPD: ‘Where do you see yourself in five years?’
Joshua: ‘You and your surroundings are in a state of constant change, so I don’t have a simple answer to that question. Ideally in a house, though, out of the way on the shore of a beautiful lake, where I can enjoy my time and be at peace.’
DPD: ‘Do you have any parting thoughts for your fellow human beings?’
Joshua: ‘Treat the environment with a little more care. Apply critical thinking to opinions, views and behaviours, even if it’s something that has always been done that way. Be mindful of the people around you and learn to accept more. Live more and let live.’
