HDFC Case Study

Case Study — HDFC Bank
POSventory 360 (2018)

Nationwide field‑audit application for POS terminals & merchandising compliance (mobile+ handheld)

Note: Prepared for marketing and educational purposes. Reflects 2018 delivery scope and approach without confidential or customer‑identifiable data.

Project Name & Positioning

  • Selected name: POSventory 360 — Merchant Asset & Display Compliance Platform
  • Why this name? Combines POS + inventory with 360‑degree visibility (asset, site, photo, GPS, SLA, and audit trail).

Executive Summary

HDFC Bank required a single, scalable way to track POS terminal placement, verify merchandising displays, and record the functional status of each device at every merchant location nationwide. We implemented POSventory 360, a mobile and handheld‑friendly application that enables field agents to capture geo‑tagged, time‑stamped photos of POS placement and mandatory information stickers, submit structured checklists for device health & display compliance, and sync findings to an HQ audit portal for review, exception handling, and compliance reporting. The system provides a complete evidence chain from field capture to HQ audit, improving asset uptime, brand compliance, and regulatory readiness.

Business Context

  • Rapid growth in merchant acquisition and device deployments demanded consistent field verification across thousands of locations.
  • Manual audits (calls/emails/spreadsheets) caused visibility gaps, delayed fixes, and weak audit trails.
  • The bank needed proof‑of‑placement for POS terminals, proof‑of‑display for required stickers, and a fast way to flag non‑functional units for service.

Objectives

  • Provide a single mobile app for field agents to verify POS terminal placement and display compliance with photo evidence.
  • Capture device status (functional / not functional) with standard fault codes and trigger service tickets where required.
  • Enforce GPS, timestamp, and user identity controls to protect the integrity of field evidence.
  • Give HQ a central audit portal with dashboards, exception workflows, and SLA tracking.
  • Create a nationwide view of asset coverage, compliance, and time‑to‑fix by region, portfolio, and merchant segment.

Solution Overview

A. Field App (Android + Handheld Devices)

  • Mandatory photo capture with GPS & timestamp (EXIF metadata retained); configurable minimum photo quality.
  • Structured checklists: terminal present (Y/N), functional status, power/network checks, sticker displayed (Y/N), sticker location, visibility rating.
  • Asset identity: scan QR/barcode of device serial/TID/MID; local validation against merchant & device master.
  • Offline‑first sync with conflict resolution; background upload when network is available.
  • Geo‑lock / geofencing: distance threshold from registered merchant GPS to prevent off‑site submissions.
  • Guided camera overlays (optional) to standardize evidence shots.
  • Device & user controls: role‑based menus, MDM‑friendly build, tamper‑resistant clock/location checks.

B. Workflow & Data Model

  • Masters: Merchant, Site (geo), Device (model, TID/MID/serial), Portfolio/Region.
  • Transactions: Visit → Photo set → Checklist → Exceptions → Service Ticket (if needed).
  • Statuses: Compliant / Non‑compliant / Partially compliant; Device Health (OK/Needs Service) with fault codes.
  • SLA clocks: auto‑start for time‑to‑acknowledge and time‑to‑repair; business‑hours calendars by region.

C. HQ Audit Portal

  • Dashboards: national→regional→portfolio drilldowns; compliance heatmaps; device uptime; TAT trends.
  • Evidence viewer: side‑by‑side photo + EXIF + GPS pin; checklist results; user/device info; change log.
  • Exception handling: auto‑create service tickets for not‑functional devices; workflow for re‑visit proof.
  • Bulk operations: portfolio refresh, new sticker campaigns, and batch merchant master updates.
  • Export & APIs: scheduled CSV/Excel exports; APIs to core asset systems/CRM for service dispatch.

D. Controls & Security

  • Phase 1 — Discovery & Design: site/portfolio mapping; sticker/display policy; device master standardization; checklist & SLA design.
  • Phase 2 — Build & Integrate: mobile app, handheld support, GPS/EXIF capture, QR/barcode scan, offline sync, HQ portal, APIs.
  • Phase 3 — Pilot: selected regions; field ride‑alongs; UX refinements; calibrate geo‑thresholds and photo guidelines..
  • Phase 4 — National Rollout: train field agents and supervisors; data migration for merchant/device masters; hypercare.
  • Phase 5 — Stabilization: reporting cadence, compliance councils, service‑partner SLAs

Results & Impact (qualitative)

  • Proof‑of‑placement and proof‑of‑display obtained for the POS estate with verifiable photo + GPS evidence.
  • Reduced time‑to‑fix for not‑functional devices due to automated ticketing and SLA alerts.
  • Higher display compliance via targeted re‑visits and regional coaching.
  • Nationwide visibility of asset coverage and compliance; improved regulatory & audit readiness.

Governance

  • Weekly compliance reviews with regional leads; monthly service‑partner performance reviews.
  • Policy versioning for sticker placement; app checklists updated via remote config.
  • Quarterly audits of evidence quality, GPS thresholds, and SLA adherence

Acknowledgements

  • Client: HDFC Bank — Merchant Acquiring & Field Operations
  • Our Role: Product design, mobile development, handheld enablement, GPS/EXIF capture, HQ audit portal, integrations, rollout & training

Disclaimer

Prepared for marketing and educational purposes. Reflects 2018 delivery scope and approach without confidential or customer‑identifiable data.