11/16/12
Kela invites clients to join in 75th anniversary celebrations
Kela invites clients to join in 75th anniversary celebrationsThis year marks the 75th anniversary of Kela's founding. In November, the anniversary year will culminate with an invitation to clients to visit Kela's local offices for cakes and coffee. These local get-togethers will be held between 19 and 30 November.Liisa HyssäläThis year marks the 75th anniversary of Kela's founding. In November, the anniversary year will culminate with an invitation to clients to visit Kela's local offices for cakes and coffee. These local get-togethers will be held between 19 and 30 November.Helena PesolaThis year marks the 75th anniversary of Kela's founding. In November, the anniversary year will culminate with an invitation to clients to visit Kela's local offices for cakes and coffee. These local get-togethers will be held between 19 and 30 November.Mikael ForssThis year marks the 75th anniversary of Kela's founding. In November, the anniversary year will culminate with an invitation to clients to visit Kela's local offices for cakes and coffee. These local get-togethers will be held between 19 and 30 November.Clients' needs are changing – no "one-size-fits-all" service solution meets all needsThis year marks the 75th anniversary of Kela's founding. In November, the anniversary year will culminate with an invitation to clients to visit Kela's local offices for cakes and coffee. These local get-togethers will be held between 19 and 30 November.Additional informationThis year marks the 75th anniversary of Kela's founding. In November, the anniversary year will culminate with an invitation to clients to visit Kela's local offices for cakes and coffee. These local get-togethers will be held between 19 and 30 November.Media inquriesThis year marks the 75th anniversary of Kela's founding. In November, the anniversary year will culminate with an invitation to clients to visit Kela's local offices for cakes and coffee. These local get-togethers will be held between 19 and 30 November.
They will coincide with a number of partnership and media events organised for regional partners around Finland. Director General Liisa Hyssälä and Directors Helena Pesola and Mikael Forss will be attending various events around Finland.
"Kela is undergoing a profound change, with outcomes that our clients are experiencing in their daily lives. This is all part of a programme which we call Toward a New Kela and which will continue until 2015," says Director General Hyssälä.
Application forms have been streamlined and the wording of client letters and decisions clarified. Around 30 application forms have already been simplified and about 250 client letters rewritten for better readability. Yet much remains to be done. Around 200 application forms and more than 1,000 client letters must still be revised, most of which will be done over the coming year. This will be accomplished in cooperation with clients, whose views have been solicited for example through interviews and online discussions.
Clients' needs are changing – no "one-size-fits-all" service solution meets all needs
Kela is continually updating the ways in which it delivers its services. Work capacity counselling was launched nationwide at the beginning of this year. Dedicated work capacity counsellors reach out to clients with prolonged or recurrent sickness allowance spells. Nearly 3,000 clients to date have been provided such counselling.
"Next year, this service model will be extended to incapacitated and disabled clients. Our goal is for each group of clients to have a personal counsellor at Kela who actively promotes their interests, often in cooperation with other governmental agencies," Liisa Hyssälä says.
Online customer service has become more popular as well, with 20% of applications currently submitted online. They are particularly popular among students and families with children. The online customer service experience will become even more convenient in a few weeks' time when clients will be able to submit supporting documents for their applications electronically.
Another new service is the possibility to book appointments with Kela online. Clients who are going through big changes in their lives or who have questions that cannot be resolved online or over the phone can book an appointment online with a Kela client advisor. The online reservation system is being trialled in three regions and will be adopted nationwide next year.
"What makes the steps we are taking to develop our service challenging is that they may not jeopardise our core mission. While clients ask more of us, financial realities are what they are. At Kela, we are facing the same productivity pressures as any other public-sector organisation. The only way we can free up resources is by automating processes and making them more efficient. Rising unemployment is another challenge that is increasing our workload and application numbers," Director General Hyssälä says.
Additional information
For more on Kela's strategy for 2013–2016 and the Toward a New Kela programme, visit www.kela.fi/strategia
Milestones in Kela's history Read more at www.kela.fi/75
Schedule for the client get-togethers
Media inquries
List of insurance district managers www.kela.fi/vakuutuspiirit
Background presentations for journalists focusing on current issues in social security will be held in Tampere, Lappeenranta, Vaasa and Rovaniemi