Delays at the SAAQ: 150 additional employees hired as reinforcements

Starting Monday, 150 additional employees will be progressively assigned to branches of Quebec's auto insurance board (SAAQ) experiencing high traffic thanks to delays involving the new SAAQclic online portal.

"Depending on traffic, opening hours will be moved up in the morning and extended at the end of the day, and services will be offered by appointment on weekends," said a press release issued early Sunday morning.

Also as of Monday, clients can consult the daily capacity of each center on the SAAQ website.

"Self-service digital kiosks will be added in the branches," the press release adds.

On Friday, Premier François Legault denounced the "unacceptable" situation at the SAAQ and demanded corrections.

On Feb. 20, the SAAQ's new digital platform was launched, allowing customers to make most transactions online.

The objective was to improve efficiency by allowing online users to renew their driver's licenses, pay registrations, book driving exams, etc.

There are new measures to make creating a SAAQclic account easier when registering online. Starting March 13, users can obtain a notice of assessment number by phone instead of mail.

The authentication process will also be simplified at some SAAQ branches, using two pieces of identification instead of four: a health insurance card and a driver's license.

MEASURES TO HELP DEALERS

Car dealers, who are also affected by online issues with the SAAQ, should soon find it easier to reach a representative on the phone, as 15 additional employees will answer calls on the SAAQ support line.

An update to the SAAQclic merchants' portal was announced over the weekend, and an email inbox will be dedicated to reporting merchant difficulties.

According to data provided by the SAAQ, it processes over 25 million transactions annually.

"The slowdown of activities during the transition period to SAAQclic caused the displacement of 430,000 transactions," the release states.

Since the launch of the new SAAQclic platform on Feb. 20, 103,000 Quebecers have successfully used it among the 335,000 clients served by the SAAQ.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Mar. 5, 2023.