(Montreal) Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec’s (SAAQ) new digital platform, SAAQclic, will be operational on Feb. 20, the company’s President and CEO Denis Marsolais said Thursday morning.
At a press conference, SAAQ executives unveiled the changes brought about by the transition to modernity, specifically the ability to conduct most transactions remotely.
“It’s a major transformation that will ensure we really put the citizen first. It will allow him to carry out a large number of transactions from the comfort of his own home, ”said the leader.
According to Mr Marsolais, the main objective is to ensure customer autonomy, increase the efficiency of services and avoid the need for individuals to travel to the 142 service points in the province. For example, you can transfer a number plate from one person to another and also have access to all their documents in digital form.
Karl Malenfant, vice president of digital experience at SAAQ, said that SAAQclic would guarantee “end-to-end” customer service, especially by bringing all customer information together in one place.
This centralization will filter and delete 9 of the 10 billion files created over time, which will significantly reduce the load on the system.
“We want to be more preventive and proactive towards the customer. We also want to make space in terms of workload so that we can devote more time to our customers with specific needs,” he explained during the press conference, adding that employees were “looking forward to the change with interest”.
The SAAQ also explained that the new platform, whose bill amounts to 458 million, will make it possible to alleviate the problems related to the labor shortage and to “absorb” the 2% growth forecast for the next few years.
Since its inception in 1978, the company has seen an 81% growth in the number of permits and 137% in registered vehicles, while still using the same technology in its service offering. In 2021, the SAAQ recorded approximately 25 million transactions across Quebec.
Customized needs
Although the watchword of the new platform is autonomy, company leaders have stated that they want to maintain inclusive services for all network users.
Our employees have more time to support customers with special needs. We are very aware that some customers will inevitably have to travel.
Jean-Philippe McKenzie, Vice President for Safe Access to the Road Network
He assured that people with literacy difficulties, immigrants, the hearing impaired or those unfamiliar with technology will always have access to adapted services, both in person and by phone.
The transfer of data to SAAQclic will take place between January 26th and February 19th, a period during which it will be impossible to make a license or registration payment directly to the company. Customers must instead turn to online services or their financial institution’s counters, the vice president said.
The SAAQ said service outlets and call centers would remain open during the transition, but urged customers to travel only for “essential services”.
During this time, customers can still validate a driver’s license, replace a lost or stolen driver’s license, check their vehicle’s compliance, or take a practical driving test. It is operated “in manual mode”, i.e. without technology. All traffic control activities are also maintained on the network.
“With full transparency from February 20th, it is certain that customers will have to expect slightly longer than usual delays. […] Our staff will be in a learning phase during this time, so we will ask not to come without an appointment,” added Jean-Philippe McKenzie.
This article was produced with financial support from the Meta Fellowships and The Canadian Press for News.
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