HDFC Bank Plans Major System Upgrade to Elevate Customer Service Standards

HDFC Bank has announced a significant system upgrade scheduled for July 13, 2024. This upgrade will involve transitioning the bank's Core Banking System (CBS) to a new, advanced platform designed to enhance customer experience and support its growing base of 93 million customers.

The primary objectives of this migration are to increase performance speed, expand capacity to manage high traffic volumes, and boost reliability and scalability. By undertaking this transition, HDFC Bank will position itself as one of the largest banks in India to host its CBS on a next-generation platform, enabling it to better meet the evolving needs of its customers.

The system upgrade is scheduled to take place from 3:00 AM to 4:30 PM on Saturday, July 13, 2024. During this 13.5-hour window, several banking services will be temporarily affected. The bank has provided detailed information on which services will remain available during the upgrade:

Net & Mobile Banking services will continue with some exceptions. UPI services will be available but will experience temporary outages from 3:00 AM to 3:45 AM and from 9:30 AM to 12:45 PM. Customers will be able to add new billers and view existing ones for bill payments. View services will remain accessible for Demat, Cards, and Loans, and a range of Mutual Fund services will also be available, including redemptions, switch, view & enquiry services, WealthFy reports, risk profile, and manage systematic section. However, all other NetBanking and MobileBanking services will be unavailable from 3:00 AM to 4:30 PM, except for the services mentioned above.

Cash withdrawals can still be made from any ATM using HDFC Bank debit or credit cards, although up to a restricted amount, and the account balance displayed will be as of 7:30 PM on Friday, July 12, 2024. For in-store and online purchases, customers can use their HDFC Bank debit card (up to a restricted amount) or credit card. UPI services will be available, with the same temporary outages as mentioned earlier.

Card management activities, such as hotlisting a card and resetting the PIN, will still be possible. Merchants will be able to receive payments via cards, but updates to the account for the previous day’s payments will only be available post-upgrade completion.

To minimize inconvenience, HDFC Bank has scheduled the upgrade on the second Saturday of the month, which is a bank holiday. The bank has advised customers to plan their banking activities in advance to avoid any disruptions.