Recipe for a successful change: How to successfully activate Suomi.fi Messages as a wellbeing services county

Digital transformation is hardly ever just about technologies and their introduction. It changes the operating culture of organisations, initiates a transformation of work and can have a wider impact on society as a whole. A good example of this is the Digital First project, which resulted in receiving official mail sent by public authorities chiefly digitally in Finland.

This change affects both organisations as well as the everyday lives of millions of Finns. It is a socially significant step towards smoother and safer service use. At the same time, it offers organisations the opportunity to bring their practices up to date and improve the client experience. This is precisely why organisations should now invest in sustainable change. In this change, wellbeing services counties will benefit from the basic principles of change management. Clear guidance, definition of responsibilities and consistent communication support the implementation of the change and reduce uncertainty.

Activation requires clear ownership

The implementation of a change does not succeed by chance. It requires clear guidance and the appointment of persons responsible for the activation of Suomi.fi Messages. When a designated group is responsible for the activation, the change will proceed in a controlled manner. The first step is to verify that statutory social welfare and healthcare decisions and notifications are primarily sent to Suomi.fi Messages. 

However, Suomi.fi Messages can be used much more extensively than this. Several wellbeing services counties have already realised this. Instead of only settling for the minimum required by law, it is worth taking a pause and reflecting on what purposes Suomi.fi Messages are suitable for at the level of the entire organisation.

In this context, it is essential to examine the service from the client’s perspective: from a client’s viewpoint, receiving as many official messages as possible in a single channel is the most natural and smooth option. It is also worth evaluating the benefits that activation will bring, especially in the long term. 

System suppliers help with managed change and successful activation

Well-planned is half done. The activation can be divided into two parts: technical and administrative. The organisation is responsible for a lot of concrete aspects, such as filling in a service information form, determining message content, defining processes and participating in testing the activation.  Staff training is also needed.

In technical implementation, the organisation should rely on the system supplier, as the functionality of integration is crucial. It is a good idea to discuss with system suppliers about which functionalities are relevant to the activation of Suomi.fi Messages in your specific organisation’s services and what kind of implementation will support everyday processes, meaning the work of professionals.

Clear communication lays the foundation for change

Communication is one of the main cornerstones of the activation of Suomi.fi Messages. When an organisation introduces Suomi.fi Messages, it is not just a question of technology.

This is a change with a direct impact on professionals’ work and practices. This makes it important to ensure that information on the change, its goals and effects will reach the entire organisation’s employees in time and in a way that they can understand.

Ambiguity is prone to give rise to concerns and uncertainty, whereas open and two-way communication allows people to ask questions, increases trust and strengthens commitment to change.

In the midst of a change, many professionals wonder how the Suomi.fi Messages are going to alter their work.

Using concrete terms is key: you should provide employees with clear information about the services for which the messages are used, what kind of information they are used to deliver and how the practices manifest in their daily work.  This way, the change will not remain abstract, but will rather become understandable and manageable. Each internal message, training and information event provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the purpose of the change and strengthen the professionals’ ability to also provide advice to service users.

At the same time, it is important to examine the change from a client perspective. The activation of Suomi.fi Messages affects how clients receive information about matters such as the wellbeing services county’s decisions and booked appointments. At first, the new practice may require some getting used to it, but clear instructions and sufficient support make the transition to digital communication easier. Clear and up-to-date client communications increase trust in services and reduce the need to provide advice separately. In the long term, the change strengthens clients’ trust in digital services and makes the services a smooth part of everyday life.

In the change, it is important to answer at least these questions:

• What will this change mean in the organisation’s everyday life?
• How will my work change?
• How will the change progress and where can I get support?
• How will the change be visible to our client?

Client communications across all service situations

Public administration service users are currently learning a new way of receiving official mail. The authorities are always responsible for providing advice on their services.

In addition to internal communications, it is important to ensure ongoing communication with clients.  It is worth mentioning the change in all encounters with clients: in digital channels, at service points, on the telephone and in professionals’ everyday work with clients.  

Well-implemented client communications ensure that clients receive the messages and information that are important to them in a timely manner. They include information about appointments, decision documents and official notifications.

Messages that go unnoticed may lead to situations requiring further clarification, new contacts, or service reorganisation. This can result in higher workloads and costs in the wellbeing services county. Systematic client communications confirm trust, promote the equal use of services and ensure that digital solutions support smooth digital service use.

Steps toward best solutions through co-creation

No one person has all the answers. This is why we need to cooperate and develop things together. Co-creation allows making sure that the change is successful and that the solutions actually work.

Most organisations are trying to solve the same questions and challenges. How to title messages clearly and informatively? What information should be written in the message? How to formulate processes so that they support everyday work? By sharing experiences and learning from each other, we avoid unnecessary pitfalls and make activation a faster process.  

At the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, we have launched workshops with the wellbeing services counties to find appropriate ways to use Suomi.fi Messages in different services. The workshops aim to identify key challenges, develop clear operating models and produce concrete process descriptions for different use cases.

The first task was to describe the operating model for appointment notifications in specialised medical care and related instructions. Descriptions of operating models concerning invoices, client charges and decision documents are currently under preparation.

The workshops are an open invitation to participate in the development process. By participating, you get to influence matters, share the perspectives of your organisation and hear the experiences of other wellbeing services counties.

Co-creation not only speeds up activation but also helps to build smoother processes and strengthen trust in the communications of public officials.

If you would like to get involved, you can register for future workshops through an invitation shared with your organisation or by contacting the organisers outi.kiiskinen@dvv.fi or heini.pekuri@kpmg.fi. Let’s do it together.

Eva Mattila, Senior Specialist, Digital and Population Data Services Agency