How to describe a service location?

Press the "Add new location" button to start providing location information.

The different types of location are street address, other location information or foreign address.

Street address
Street address is the default selection. Enter the street name and number, postal code and city and, if necessary, enter additional information for the address.

• Enter the full name or, alternatively, the beginning of the name in the street name field, and the predictive text system will suggest suitable options. Select a name by clicking on it. Do not enter address numbers in the street name field but enter them in their adjacent field.
• In the post code and city field, enter at least three characters and click the suggested postal code to select it.

If the address is found in the Posti database, a notification will be shown under the Postal code and district field, stating that the address is available in the Posti database, displaying a map with the location you entered as a map point. You can zoom in with the plus sign in the upper-right corner of the map and zoom out with the minus sign.

If you want to move a map point because the entrance is slightly different from the location indicated by the street address, you can drag the point with your mouse and "drop" it to the correct location.

• If necessary, you can enter additional information in the "Additional address information" field to help the customer find their way to the service location. The field can hold up to 150 characters. In this field, you can provide more detailed information on, for example, the entrance.

When you have filled in the required information, click "Accept". The preview shows the address you have indicated, and the location coordinates given for the address. To add another location to the service location with the "Add new location" button.

At this stage, the system will notify you if there is already a service location at the same address. Check that you do not duplicate an existing location unnecessarily.

If the address cannot be found in the Posti database

The system will notify you if the address you entered cannot be found in the Posti database. In such a case, first make sure that the address is entered correctly, up to the address number. This may clear the notification. The address may also be missing from the database if it is very new, for example.

You can save the address even if it cannot be found in the Posti database. However, the system will not be able to provide map coordinates for the service location nor will it be displayed as a point on the map.

However, you can place the service location on the map yourself by clicking on the map and dragging the map point to the desired location. Click "Accept".

This way, the service location can be given its location coordinates, which you can see in the preview after you have clicked "Accept".

If the entered address cannot be found in the Posti database and you do not place the service location on the map manually, map coordinates will not be created for the service location. By doing so, the location of the service location is not visible in map services that display FSC information.

You can report missing map points to the National Land Survey of Finland. A link to the digital report form is shown in the service location’s preview information after you click "Accept".

The last section of the location information is a text field, in which you can enter additional address information to help the customer find their way to the service location. In this field, you can provide more detailed information on, for example, the entrance. The field can hold up to 150 characters.

Please note! If you provide multiple addresses, they must be located in the same service location. However, as an exception to this, you can describe a mobile service location (e.g. library bus stop locations) by giving multiple locations for a single service location.

Other location information

Select Other location information if the service location does not have an official street address. These service locations may include rug washing piers, lean-to shelters and parks. If you wish, you can first enter the postal code of the area, which will help the map focus on the correct area.

Next, zoom in on the map with the plus sign in the upper right corner and mark the service location by clicking on it. This will display the coordinates of the marked location in the latitude and longitude fields. You can change the position of the map marker by dragging it to another location for new coordinates.

If you know the location coordinates of the service location, you do not need to mark the location on the map, as you can enter the coordinates directly in the latitude and longitude fields.

Next, enter the additional address information, which is required for the Other location option. The additional information can help customers find their way to the service location. In this field, you can provide more detailed information on, for example, the entrance. The field can hold up to 150 characters.

Please note! Service locations that do not have a street address are not displayed in the Suomi.fi Web Services.

When you have filled in the required information, click "Accept". The preview shows the address you have indicated and the location coordinates given for the address. To add another location to the service location with the Add new location button.

Foreign address

If the service location is located abroad, select Foreign address. Enter the address of the service location in the field as free text and select the country where the address is located from the drop-down menu.

Click "Accept". The preview will display the information you entered.

You can provide a wide range of contact information for a service location. The options for a service location's contact information are in alphabetical order in the system

• email address
• fax number
• postal address
• telephone number
• website.

Enter the information that is relevant to this particular service location.

To begin, click on "Add new contact information".

Instructions for the different contact detail options are listed on this page in the same order as the options in the system.

Email address

Enter the email address of the service location.

Fax number

Select a country code: the default selection is Finland's country code +358. You can change the code from the drop-down list. Enter the fax number in its own field without the leading zero. Click "Accept".

Postal address

You can enter the postal address either as a street address, a PO Box address or a foreign address. Select the type of address and enter the required information.

• The street address is entered in the same way as in the service location’s location information (see above) with the difference that this section does not display the information provided on the map.
• Post office box address
  Enter the post office box address in the free text field (e.g. P.O. Box 355). In the postal code and city field, you can enter the full postal code manually, or you can enter at least three characters, in which case the user interface suggests postal code and city options. In the Additional address information field, you can enter additional details about the address.
• Foreign address
  Enter the foreign address as free text in its own field and select the country from the drop-down list.

Click "Accept".

Telephone number

First, select from these two options:

• Normal phone number
  The number can be reached from abroad and it always includes the area code.
• Nationwide helpline that cannot be called from abroad
  The telephone number does not contain an area code. For example, 020202.

If you select a normal phone number, the following fields will appear, in which you can enter the telephone number and related information:

• Country code
  The user interface provides the Finnish area code +358 by default. You can also select the country code for another country from the drop-down menu by deleting the country code offered and typing the beginning of the name of another country in the field or by scrolling down the menu.
• Telephone number
  Enter the phone number without its first zero in the field. The user interface will notify you of an error if the phone number starts with zero. The field can hold up to 20 characters. 
• Under the Preview heading, you can see what the combined area code and phone number you have entered in the fields will look like.

Additional information (optional)

In this field, you can provide additional information about the telephone number, such as "Switchboard", "Customer Service", etc. Enter the additional information, especially when providing several different numbers for the same service location, so that the client knows which of the numbers they should call.

However, do not enter the names of any persons in the additional information field, but use their job titles or other information that will guide the client. The recommendation is to not add people's names to the Suomi.fi Finnish Service Catalogue, as FSC data can be utilised through an open interface anywhere. The additional information field can hold up to 150 characters.

Call charges
Next, fill in the details on call prices: Choose from three options:

• The Payable option means a normal phone charge where a local network fee is charged when calling from a landline, a mobile network fee is charged when calling from a mobile phone, or an international fee is charged when calling from abroad.
• The includes supplementary charge option means that the call will be charged differently from the normal phone charge.
• The Free option means that the call is completely free of charge (e.g. a call to the national emergency number).

Where necessary enter detailed information in the Call charges in detail field on what the phone call will cost and the components that make up the price. For example, you can specify here if the waiting time is subject to a charge. The field can hold up to 150 characters.

Click "Accept".

If you select to add a nationwide service number that cannot be called from abroad, the following fields will open, in which you can enter the service number and the related information:

• Telephone number
  Enter the service number in the field. The field can hold up to 20 characters.
•  Under the Preview heading, you can see what the service number looks like.

Additional information (optional)

In this field, you can provide additional information about the telephone number, such as "Switchboard", "Customer Service", etc. Enter the additional information, especially when providing several different numbers for the same service location, so that the client knows which of the numbers they should call.

However, do not enter the names of any persons in the additional information field, but use their job titles or other information that will guide the client. The recommendation is to not add people's names to the Suomi.fi Finnish Service Catalogue, as FSC data can be utilised through an open interface anywhere. The additional information field can hold up to 150 characters.

Call charges
Next, fill in the details on call prices: Choose from three options:

• The Payable option means a normal phone charge where a local network fee is charged when calling from a landline, a mobile network fee is charged when calling from a mobile phone, or an international fee is charged when calling from abroad.
• The includes supplementary charge option means that the call will be charged differently from the normal phone charge.
• The Free option means that the call is completely free of charge (e.g. a call to the national emergency number).

Where necessary enter detailed information in the Call charges in detail field on what the phone call will cost and the components that make up the price. It is important for the client to know what it costs to call the service number so that they can prepare for the cost of the call. For example, you can specify here if the waiting time is subject to a charge. The field can hold up to 150 characters.

Website address

If the service location has its own website, enter its details here. Type in a descriptive name for the website (e.g. Home page of Palpola Community Centre) and the precise web address. Make sure that the web address begins with http:// or https://.

You can add multiple entries of each contact detail, if necessary.

Click "Accept".

Once you have entered the details of the service location as described in these instructions and other details in accordance with the Shared description instructions for service channels, click the "Save as draft" button at the bottom of the page.

If you want to provide accessibility information for a service location, go to the "Channel-specific information and accessibility" section.

Finally, if you are ready to publish the content, click the "Publish" button at the top right of the page and follow the steps of publishing.

Once you have given a service location its (first) location information and have saved it as a draft, you can begin entering accessibility information. If you do not want to enter any accessibility information, you can skip this section.

Accessibility information is entered using a separate accessibility application produced by the City of Helsinki through the Channel-specific information and accessibility section of the service location.

This section opens automatically when you have saved a service location or if you open a previously saved service location’s content through search, for example. You do not specifically need to begin editing the content, nor it is not possible to enter accessibility information in editing mode.

Read more about the information provided in the accessibility application: Instructions for authors completing accessibility questions (City of Helsinki, in Finnish).Opens in a new window.

The accessibility application is available in Finnish, Swedish and English. If you enter the accessibility information in Finnish and you have also described the service location in Swedish and English, the accessibility statements will also be imported into the Suomi.fi Finnish Service Catalogue in Swedish and English.

You can provide the first street address with accessibility information, in which case it will automatically become the main entrance of the service location. If you also want to provide accessibility information for additional entrances, add more entrances to the service location and enter their accessibility information in the accessibility application.

Click on Enter accessibility information. This expands the Visiting address accessibility information window, which contains the Enter or edit accessibility information link. Click the link to go to the accessibility application to provide accessibility information for the service location. The application opens in a new window. Enter the accessibility information as instructed in the application.

You can also copy the link using another button and send that to the person describing the accessibility information of the service location, such as your organisation’s accessibility expert.

Indicating an additional entrance and providing accessibility information
If you want to indicate an additional entrance for the service location and its accessibility information, enter them in the accessibility application. In other words, only add information about the additional entrance in the accessibility application.

• In the service location information (in the FSC), click on Enter or edit accessibility information.
• In the accessibility application, click on Add new entrance.
• Enter the information for the additional entrance.
• Save your work.
• After saving, return to the FSC.
• In the FSC, click on Retrieve accessibility information.

After entering and saving the accessibility information, return to the FSC in another browser window. Click on Retrieve accessibility information and the FSC will retrieve the accessibility information of the service location to the FSC.

The accessibility information is generated for the service location from statements formed by the accessibility application.

Finally, when you are ready to publish the content, click the "Publish" button at the top right of the page and follow the steps for publishing.

How to remove accessibility information from the service location:

• Open the service location in edit mode in the FSC user interface.
• Remove the location details from the service location.
• Re-enter the same location details.
• Save and/or publish the content.

The service location no longer has any accessibility information. If you want to enter new accessibility information for the service location, you can do so by following the basic instructions for providing accessibility information.