The OUTO model provides higher-quality digital services to Finnish municipalities

A growing number of municipalities are considering the digitalisation of their services and the challenge posed by the equation of technically adept residents and limited financial resources. To support this complicated situation and to ensure the customer-oriented nature of the development work, the MODA project focused on the digitalisation of Finnish municipal services was implemented with funding from the Ministry of Finance.

In the Modern Customer Services for Municipalities (MODA) project, the cities of Jyväskylä and Oulu implemented 14 pilot projects related to the digitalisation of services. On the basis of these pilots, an operations model was developed to enable municipal services to be provided in the future to better meet the needs and expectations of customers. The resulting OUTO operations model supports Oulu in this work. One of the key elements of its success is social inclusion. 

The Suomi.fi services of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency have recently played a key role in the implementation of more customer-oriented digital services in municipalities using the OUTO model.

At the heart of the replicable operations model is customer-driven management

Veli-Matti Keloneva, Director of Development of the City of Oulu, who has directed the implementation and practical application of the model within the framework of Oulu's own OUTO project, is satisfied. OUTO (Oulu's operations model) moves away from sector-based thinking towards people-oriented thinking, which brings the change Keloneva wants in municipal management and places the customer at the core.

- Municipal management should be based on operational and financial management, not just financial management. A better way of thinking is where the customer is at the centre of the whole and services are provided around them. Services should be managed with quality at the forefront – is the customer satisfied, is the customer getting the service they want, is the service efficient.

However, the lessons of the MODA project are not limited to Oulu. The challenges posed by urbanisation and an ageing population are encouraging municipalities to focus on well-being management, which means managing ecosystems more than ever before. Although the financial resources of many municipalities are declining, they still have to meet the obligations set in the Municipal Act and the expectations of their customers, making solving this equation not an easy task.

The OUTO model makes it possible to allocate municipal resources to where they are most beneficial. Digital solutions are more resource-efficient and more customer-oriented management enables services to be implemented in a way that improves their accessibility. In the OUTO model, development is carried out in the value stream of customer service development together with customers and specialists from various parties. The development is done independently from any organisations. According to Keloneva, almost 90 percent of the municipalities' operations are uniform, and therefore the OUTO model can be easily copied to other municipalities in addition to Oulu.

Easier everyday life with Suomi.fi services

The Digital and Population Data Services Agency, which has been one of the main partners in the MODA project, has also been a key partner for Oulu in the digitalisation of services and the implementation of the new operations model. The Suomi.fi services offered by the agency have proven to be an effective way to digitise municipal services in a cost-effective and customer-oriented manner. 

In practice, Suomi.fi's Messages, Data Exchange Layer and Authorisations services, produced and maintained by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, have enabled the digitalisation of services in accordance with the OUTO model to run smoothly and securely.

For example, with the help of Suomi.fi messages, inhabitants of municipalities can use the municipal services electronically and securely. In practice, this means, for example, sending applications for permits, submitting supporting documents and receiving various administrative decisions from the municipality electronically. 

Through the Authorisations service, citizens can act online on behalf of companies, communities or individuals. For example, handling the affairs of children or elderly parents with the Suomi.fi authorisation directly on their behalf significantly increases the availability and usability of municipal services. The Suomi.fi Data Exchange Layer, on the other hand, enables secure data transfer between different organisations.

The Suomi.fi services described above together make it possible to bring several separate service desks into one digital place, improving the availability of services and their practicality for inhabitants of municipalities. Utilising these services, Oulu has created new ways to bring services closer to its customers through digitalisation. According to the inhabitants of Oulu, co-operation in pilots has been seamless and provided continuous development.

How will development continue in the future?

After its successful early stages, Oulu has planned to continue the development of digital customer service solutions in the coming years. The goal is to have a 24/7 customer service available, through which it is possible to handle matters digitally and without friction. With the help of digital solutions, the city also aims to reduce and automate manual work, as well as streamline municipal administration.
Veli-Matti Keloneva compares service development work with computers: 
- Both are constantly evolving and are becoming faster, better and more efficient all the time. We are only at the beginning, and nowhere near the goal, because the goal is getting away from us all the time.