HDFC Unveils ‘OnChat’ Chatbot for Bill Payments, Mobile Recharge and Cab Booking Through Facebook Messenger

Chatbots are becoming the next big thing in communication and getting things done, and it is not even a big deal to make one. However, what matters is how the chatbot can solve your problem, and the most optimal way to do so.

Be it Google Assistant in Google Allo or Ixibaba on Ixigo, chatbots are replacing live customer service to answer some repetitive and common questions. HDFC Bank has also launched a chatbot service called ‘OnChat’ that will allow you to make bill payments and do mobile recharges with ease.

Built into the Facebook Messenger, OnChat is available to non-HDFC bank users as well. It will allow you to do the following –

• Prepaid mobile recharges for all major service providers
• OnChat automatically recommends the best plans for you to select from
• Pay postpaid mobile bill, utility bills for DTH, Electricity, Water, Gas and Landline
• Book a cab from Ola or Uber from the app itself

For postpaid mobile users, bill details are automatically saved for future payments. So, next time, all you need to say is ‘Pay my telephone bill’ and HDFC Bank OnChat will understand your query and consequently pay for it.

The company is also looking to extend its productivity by allowing users to book hotels, buses and flights, and events from the app itself. This will save the customer unnecessary hassle of booking all these themselves and going through so many recommendations. The app will solve this issue and suggest the best results.

In the past, Freecharge and WhatsApp have partnered to make payments through the chat messaging service, and now HDFC has partnered with Facebook to take it to a new level. OnChat is a 24×7 service and can be easily accessed on Facebook Messenger.

All you have to do is find ‘HDFC Bank OnChat’ on Facebook search, click on the search recommendation, say ‘Hi’ to it on messenger and wait for the response. The user’s phone number will be verified, making it easier to transact. The chatbot saves the user’s data for future use, and prompts payment through the digital wallets, which in-turn can be recharged via debit or credit cards.

Since there is machine learning and artificial intelligence in this chatbot service, it will store user’s information, which again might not be okay with a lot of people who are concerned about privacy.

Is OnChat one-stop solution for your basic banking needs right now?

HDFC’s thought of creating a chatbot to answer a lot of queries and problems being faced by the people of India right now. It is easy, quick and convenient for users to simply chat and make bill payments.

However, coming to phone recharge, the chatbot doesn’t offer you special packages being promoted by the companies. Also, once your Ola and Uber accounts are linked, there is no option to unlink them.

The company has said that it is looking into addressing these issues as well, and will rollout additional features with software updates in the coming months. Once your transaction is complete, an invoice is sent to your email ID, which is pretty neat and simple to do.

For mobile bill payments, only MTNL Delhi, Airtel, Tikona, Tata Teleservices and Reliance Telecommunications have partnered with HDFC Bank. Also, you can avail uberPOOL and Ola Share through this, which makes it all the more convenient.

Give HDFC Bank OnChat on Fb messenger a try today itself, because it is sure to make your life a tad bit easier and more convenient. Let us know what you think of this new service, in the comments below.

Source: HDFC