Online services: We tested the new SAAQclic

After suspending a good part of its services for 25 days, SAAQ resumed its operations in a painstaking manner this week. The new SAAQclic site faced several problems that were not properly communicated to frustrated customers by the Crown corporation. Here’s what you need to know about the new services.

• Also Read: More delays at SAAQ service centers

• Also Read: A chaotic exit from SAAQ after a month-long paralysis

Failures, yes…

• The site went live at 10:30 a.m. instead of 7 a.m. on Monday.
• He “plants” for two hours on Tuesday afternoons, for employees
• SAAQ’s capacity can answer 8,000 calls a day, but it received 60,000 on Monday and 30,000 on Thursday.
• Customers lost the line when on hold for more than 60 minutes
• Customers had to queue outside the service point in the cold
• “Virtual queues” are part of the online experience
• Several problems were encountered with the payment machines at the service points

But, above all, lack of communication

SAAQ will be able to communicate better with its customers this week, said Association for the Protection of Motorists (APA) president George Ini. Whether it’s a delay in getting a new site online on Monday morning or a two-hour blackout on Tuesday afternoon, many Quebecers are more often than not willing to go to a service point for nothing. “The agents’ computers are not working. I think there was a way to prevent people from moving by posting a message on SAAQclic,” said Mr. Iny said. In short, he expected the situation to be better than Friday, five days after the launch.

“Change of this magnitude is inevitable with adjustments along the way. SAAQ is working hard to streamline the service,” Transport Minister Genevieve Guilbault said in writing yesterday.

Services provided

The modernization of SAAQ services, while labor-intensive, promises to save Quebecers a lot of time. Gone are the days when you had to go to a branch to complete a person-to-person used car sale, for example. Motorists can consult and print their driving record, submit a medical report or cancel or replace their driving license themselves.

To understand the extent of this week’s chaos, one number: 47,000. According to the state-owned company, this is the number of transfers of vehicle ownership between individuals that were blocked between January 26 and February 20. .

Create an account

SAAQclic already exists, but is reserved for accredited merchants. As of Monday, the site is available to all Quebecers. To connect to it, they must use the new government authentication service, a mechanism intended to replace the clicSÉQUR solution. To create an account, you will need a functional email address as well as your social insurance number, health insurance card or driver’s license and a notice of assessment number issued by Revenu Québec in one of the two most recent tax years.

Link a bank account

For now, SAAQ is urging Quebecers to continue paying for driver’s license and registration renewals through their financial institution. SAAQclic – which cost $458 million to produce – must go through a break-in period. But as long as you create an account, you can immediately link the bank account to it to take advantage of all the services. To do this, go to the “My Financial File” tab, click on “Add Bank Account” and then click on “Get Started”. Then enter the branch number, financial institution number and account number and you are done.

Making appointments

SAAQclic offers over 50 new online services that will be rolled out gradually. In the end, there are only two reasons left to go to the service point: to get your picture taken and to pass the driving test. The Site allows you to make, contact, modify or cancel an appointment. Personal services will continue to be offered to those who are not comfortable with technology or are not proficient enough in writing and reading.