Using Suomi.fi messages together with an E-service

Your organisation may have an e-service where customers submit applications, track the progress of their cases and complete other actions. Suomi.fi Messages can be integrated into this service journey.

In this setup, Suomi.fi Messages can be used as a secure communication channel that complements the e-service. Through Suomi.fi Messages, customers can receive acknowledgements of receipt, status updates, requests for additional information, decisions and other messages. Messages may also contain links that direct customers to the e-service.

Define the roles of the services

When both an e-service and Suomi.fi Messages are used, customers should be able to easily understand the role of each service.

Define, for example:

• what information is delivered to customers through Suomi.fi Messages
• what information customers can view in the e-service
• in which service customers are expected to take action
• where decisions and other documents are available.

For example, when a decision has been made, a message can be sent through Suomi.fi Messages to inform the customer that the decision is ready. Your organisation should also decide whether the decision document will be attached to the message or whether the customer will be directed to the e-service to view it.

Similarly, when requesting additional information, decide whether customers should provide the missing information through the e-service or whether they can submit it by replying to the electronic message. It is important to clearly explain where customers are expected to take action.

Include as much relevant information as possible in the message, even if the decision or other document is attached to the message or available in the e-service. Most importantly, customers should not have to guess what the matter concerns, where information can be found or where any further actions need to be taken.

Avoid duplicate notifications

If customer communications are not carefully planned, customers may receive multiple separate notifications about the same matter.

For example, a customer may receive an email notification about a new Suomi.fi Message, a push notification from the Suomi.fi mobile app about the same message and a separate email from the e-service regarding the same event. As a result, the customer receives multiple notifications about the same matter, but may not realise that they are related.

Consequently, the customer may review the matter directly in the e-service based on the notification received from that service. A week later, they may receive an email reminder from Suomi.fi Messages about an unread message containing information about the same matter. From the customer’s perspective, the reminder may then seem unnecessary or confusing.

Plan the overall communication journey so that different channels complement each other rather than unnecessarily repeating the same information. Consider carefully when notifications should be sent through multiple channels and when a single channel is sufficient.

For example, if a formal notification is delivered through Suomi.fi Messages, it may be best to provide all related information and guidance through Suomi.fi Messages and avoid sending duplicate notifications from other systems.

You should also consider whether unread message reminder notifications sent by Suomi.fi Messages are necessary. These reminders can be disabled if customers receive reminders about the same matter through other channels. Further instructions are available on the Controlling notifications page.

Other useful guidance

• Guidance on message and notification content is available on the Formatting electronic messages and notifications page.
• Inform your customers during service interactions how the process will progress and how decisions will be delivered. Tips on communicating about the use of Suomi.fi Messages are available on the Communication materials page.
• We recommend using the "read" -status information available through the Suomi.fi Messages API to verify whether customers have received important messages. Further information is available on the Monitoring the state information of messages page.