Developed by the insurtech company ProNavigator, this artificial intelligence (AI) platform was rolled out in early 2020. The chatbot aims to save brokers valuable time: in addition to boosting their productivity, it provides instant answers to questions about underwriting and insurance products. Improved access to key information means value added for hard-working brokers as they can answer consumers' questions more rapidly.

February marks the project's one-year anniversary. The roll-out was divided into three phases:

• Configuration and development.
• Implementation and integration. The major issue, resolved with the invaluable financial support of Quebec's French language office (Office québécois de la langue française/OQLF) involved translating the platform content into French.
• Roll-out at the brokerage level with a view to providing full access to the final version by the end of 2021.

To mark the chatbot's first anniversary, the platform now has a dedicated webpage, including a series of short explanatory videos. Please visit the RCCAQ's site for further information (French only).

Current situation

"A little over a year since the chatbot was launched, it is clear that many positive things have emerged from this innovative project. The RCCAQ saw investing in this project as essential because it supports brokerages' digital transition," said the RCCAQ's business development director, Bertrand Rouault, with a note of pride. In addition to the March 2021 roll-out involving 34 RCCAQ member firms, here is a list of the recent chatbot highlights:

• Over 60 brokerage firms attended meetings at which information was provided on the chatbot project. Although these meetings started out as in-person gatherings, they went online due to the pandemic.
  
  
• Savoie Assurances et Services Financiers is serving as the "pilot firm" for this initiative. "We wanted to test the chatbot to see whether we could get information more quickly, e.g. on insurance conditions for clients, specific contractual limitations and insurers' standards for certain types of risks. And we're pleased to note that it is definitely faster!" said Charles Savoie Saumure, an insurance broker at Savoie Assurances. Charles also emphasized the chatbot's built-in advantages when seeking information, communicating with clients and identifying the right products.
  
  
• The initiative was presented over the past year to the main industry partners and stakeholders:
  • All generalist insurance brokerages offering personal insurance products.
  • Quebec's AMF, the Chambre de l’assurance de dommages (ChAD) and the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

• Thanks to the Coalition pour une relève en assurance de dommages, the Academic Institutional Committee (made up of CEGEPs and training institutions offering the AEC/DEC insurance program) has shown a keen interest in using the chatbot during training activities. The goal will be to roll out the application free of charge in various educational institutions in order to raise awareness among the next generation of the technological initiatives being developed in brokerage firms and to spark their interest in the broker profession.

Key role played by Quebec's French language office (OQLF)

Translation was one of the biggest challenges associated with developing the chatbot. Seeing as this virtual assistant was initially geared towards the anglophone market, its various operating components — text recognition, libraries, interfaces, training supports and dashboards — were available in English only.

For that reason, the OQLF ended up playing a key role in bringing the project to completion. Having recognized the value of the RCCAQ's project and having decided to provide financial support, the OQLF has made it possible for brokers to undertake a major technological transition in French while fostering use of the language in the workplace, not least by including Quebec insurers' underwriting guides and allowing brokers to reap the benefits of a road-tested French-language technological tool. To date, approximately 60% of the chatbot platform (Sage) has been translated.

Additional training opportunity

So far, over 40 people have taken part in a new training activity ("Chatbot: learning and training tool"), developed and accredited by ChAD. The following topics are covered: defining AI; project development issues; defining chatbots; main advantages of the technology; and a demonstration of the platform.

For additional information on this opportunity, please visit the relevant training page.