Kela’s Customer Community contributes to service development – emphasis on clarity of decisions and a compassionate approach

The feedback collected through Kela’s Customer Community this spring has contributed to the development of our vision for a better customer experience. This vision helps us define an ideal state for our services that we strive to achieve. According to survey results, what our customers primarily want is for the processing of their case to be transparent, predictable and easy to understand.

A total of 356 members of Kela’s Customer Community answered a customer experience survey we conducted in February. The results show that the goals set for Kela’s vision for customer experience are considered important but that they have yet to be fully achieved in the customer experience Kela is currently able to offer. Customers cited especially the predictability of the processing of their case and how easy the process is to understand as areas that need improvement.

“Customers want to know how their case is processed and what they are expected to do. They also want to be treated as a person and not just as another application,” says Ossi Alho, Lead Service Designer in Kela’s Customer Relations Unit.

Clarity and active support key factors in the service needs of the unemployed

A survey conducted in March focused on experiences of unemployment. Altogether 388 members of Kela’s Customer Community answered the survey. The results show that customers who have been unemployed for a long time often need to access Kela’s services repeatedly and for a variety of reasons.

Approximately one third of all respondents found Kela’s benefit offering complicated and the eligibility criteria difficult to understand. In addition, 45% of respondents noted that they do not always understand the decision notices they get from Kela or the grounds provided for the decisions.

More than half of all respondents felt that they do not get enough guidance and advice from Kela, and two thirds hoped to receive more active contact and support.

“These results show that some of our customers need more personalised and proactive support than they can currently get. This is a key area for development that we are actively looking to address,” says Alho.

Feedback helps Kela improve its decision documents

Kela has already initiated development measures prompted by the survey results. In April and May, the members of Kela’s Customer Community were called upon to test new clarified versions of decision documents in terms of both their layout and content.

The feedback received shows that customers preferred versions that explained the decision and how Kela arrived at it clearly and at a sufficient degree of detail. Customers also appreciated the use of friendly language that was easy to understand. Kela will continue to further improve its decision documents based on the feedback received.

Join Kela’s Customer Community to make a difference in our services

The members of Kela’s Customer Community help us develop and improve our services by answering surveys, giving feedback and evaluating new service solutions before they are implemented.

Kela’s Customer Community helps amplify our customers’ voice and gives them a chance to contribute to the development of our services. We always encourage new members to join the Community for the opportunity to give their opinions.

You can join Kela’s Customer Community on Kela’s website. The Community operates primarily online, and invitations to fill out surveys are sent via email. All answers are anonymous and do not affect your customer relations with Kela or your benefits. The Customer Community operates in English, Finnish and Swedish.

Kela’s customer insight is based on the wide variety of data we have on our customers. We collect data from customer feedback, customer experiences and the use of our various service channels. In addition to the surveys conducted among the members of the Customer Community, Kela collects customer feedback through measures such as customer experience surveys and usability testing. You can give us feedback and suggestions at any time at www.kela.fi/give-feedback.

More information

Kela’s Customer Community 
Customer insight and service development