Decisions, instructions and invoices – is your wellbeing services county already making the most of Suomi.fi Messages?

Invoices, decisions, instructions, information on appointments, customer letters... Wellbeing services counties need to send a wide variety of messages to their customers. Suomi.fi Messages is a safe and consistent way for wellbeing services counties to manage a wide variety of customer communications, especially for messages that concern personal matters and therefore require strong information security. What, then, are the communications of a wellbeing services county that Suomi.fi Messages is good for?

Many wellbeing services counties don't yet make full use of Suomi.fi Messages. They mostly use the service to send letters about appointments, despite the fact that the service can do so much more.

Natural channel for messages about appointments and care

Communications on appointments are the most natural and widespread use of Suomi.fi Messages. The service can be used to send appointment letters, confirmations, notices on rescheduling, and pre-appointment instructions. Customers receive digital messages immediately, regardless of where they are, as long as they have an internet connection.  

Many patient letters from health care are also well suited for Suomi.fi Messages. These include letters from outpatient clinics, instructions for patients, or information about treatment. 

Suomi.fi Messages is more secure than email and allows for the secure delivery of attachments. Messages are addressed to the individual on the basis of their personal identity code, ensuring that the message is sent to the correct person and not to a namesake, for example.

Digital benefits for social welfare communications

Suomi.fi Messages introduces several benefits for customer letters in social welfare. The service can be used to send service plans, decisions, meeting invitations and other communications related to the customer relationship. Messages are personal, secure and easily accessible to the customer in a one-stop shop. 

Surveys show that Suomi.fi Messages also safeguards the due process of law for the customer. Customers quickly receive information on decisions that concern them, and they can review the information later when they might be petitioning for an appeal.  

Smoother requests for information and administrative matters

Suomi.fi Messages is also well suited for various requests for information. Customers can use the service to request information on patient and client documents, log data, and on requests and responses related to rights under the GDPR. Strong identification and saved messages improve transparency and documentation. 

Another natural application is communications related to case management. Suomi.fi Messages can be used to communicate initiatives, demands for rectification and reminders as well as the different stages of their processing. This also applies to contacting the Data Protection Officer and the Patient and Social Affairs Officer. The service allows confidential, traceable and clear communication for all parties. Suomi.fi Messages also allows for customers to contact an organisation through the service. This is an optional feature, but it makes it easier for the customer to initiate matters at the wellbeing services county. 

No-delay delivery of decisions and invoices 

Legislation requires that public administration organisations use Suomi.fi Messages to send notifications, such as decisions. They can also use Suomi.fi Messages in communications about customer fees. It is possible to send decisions on customer fees, exemptions, service vouchers and payment commitments through the service. Customers receive the documents immediately, without the delays of paper mail. 

Invoices about social welfare and health care service appointment or other services can also be sent through Suomi.fi Messages. The service does include payment functions as of yet, it provides a safe way to deliver invoices and related information to the customer. It allows information about a new invoice to reach a customer even when they are not home for a period of time – such as at the summer cottage.

Not all communication belongs to Suomi.fi Messages

There are also things for which Suomi.fi Messages is not the right channel. Suomi.fi Messages is not intended when the message requires rapid response, such as sudden rescheduling and cancellations, as the service does not guarantee that the customer is reached in real time. In these cases, a call can be the most effective way to reach the customer.

Suomi.fi Messages is not suitable for assessing the need for treatment or for continuous monitoring of treatment. These require other, more interactive digital services. 

The service is also not suited for the regular delivery of customer and patient documents. While it is useful for serving notices based on requests for information, the service is not designed for continuous delivery of documents. That is what Kela’s MyKanta is for. 

Regular delivery of monitoring data on treatment or service (e.g. monitoring of weight or blood pressure and blood glucose measurements) often requires structured data and interactivity, which is not the purpose of Suomi.fi Messages.

Suomi.fi Messages may not be used for general information or marketing. The service is intended for communicating to individual persons on personal matters. 

Good time to expand your usage

The wellbeing services counties still have many areas that are well suited for Suomi.fi Messages. There is room to expand the use of Suomi.fi Messages, especially when it comes to decision documents and ombudsman communications. The benefits are clear: better data security, lower costs, and smoother transactions. It allows important data to be easily collected in a single electronic mailbox.

For many wellbeing services counties, the next step could be a simple question: could we send this letter through Suomi.fi Messages?