The Chartered Insurance Institute is revamping its troubled IT system this month, leaving some services out of action between 8 March and 19 March.

It said it is transitioning to a new customer and member relationship management system.

It said there will be minimal changes in the way Financial Planners engage with the organisation through their member dashboard, but it aims to streamline its communications and tailor relevant CPD programmes and events. 

There have been some problems with the system including the CII being forced to warn members that it had been hit by a cyber attack last October, which saw some members’ data accessed.

It said that a “limited amount” of personal data was accessed but the attack was not connected to a ransomware attempt.

It appointed Mathew Mallett as chief digital and information officer in November. He joined from the UK Space Agency to deliver the CII Group’s IT functions.

At the time chief executive Alan Vallance, said: “Since arriving in August, I’ve had the opportunity to review how the CII serves its members and customers and it is clear there’s opportunity for improvement.”

The revamp of the IT system will take up to two weeks between 8 March and 19 March.

Most membership services and learning services will be unavailable from 10 March until 14 March, the CII said.

Meanwhile its customer service contact centre will be unavailable (for both phone and email communication) from 5pm on Thursday 9 March until 9am on Wednesday 15 March.

The CII has contacted existing members whose Statements of Professional Standing are due for renewal around the affected period to consider renewing sooner, to avoid interruption in recognition.

It advises members to consider booking any MCQ exams sooner as some dates have been blocked out.

It said if submission dates fall within the transition time it will work with members to extend their enrolment.

It also urged members to ensure their contact information is up to date so they will receive important updates.

The latest information about the disruption is on the CII's site.