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AI Automation

Case The Unemployment Fund of Service Union United PAM

Faster and Better Service for Members Through Automation

 
The Unemployment Fund of Service Union United PAM is a bold pioneer in leveraging automation in its field. Automation solutions built in collaboration with Digia ensure fast service for fund members and save employees hundreds of working hours each month.

Read summary (generated by AI, checked by a human)

  • Automation speeds up and streamlines service: The Unemployment Fund of Service Union United PAM processes up to 10,000 applications per month, and automation solutions have significantly reduced processing times.
  • Improved job satisfaction and quality: Routine tasks are handled automatically, freeing up processors’ time for expert work and reducing errors.
  • Strategic partnership with Digia: Collaboration in developing automations is continuous and flexible, ensuring solutions remain up-to-date and high-quality. 
 
 

The mission of the Unemployment Fund of Service Union United PAM is to safeguard the smooth running of everyday life and livelihood for its members during the challenges of working life. Each month, the fund processes 9,000–10,000 daily allowance applications.

One of the fund’s core values is courageous renewal. This principle also guides the organization’s automation development, which it has pursued in partnership with Digia since 2020.

Through automation solutions, the Unemployment Fund of Service Union United PAM has shortened application processing times, developed additional features that benefit members, and enabled more meaningful job roles for its employees.

“Thanks to automation, our processors can focus on tasks that require expertise. By automatically deciding on adjusted applications, we save an average of 270 working hours per month, plus dozens more from other automations. This frees up time for manual processing of more complex applications and other expert work,” says Jusa Kaarni.

Thanks to automation, our processors can focus on tasks that require expertise. By automatically deciding on adjusted applications, we save an average of 270 working hours per month, plus dozens more from other automations. This frees up time for manual processing of more complex applications and other expert work.

Jusa Kaarni, Development Specialist, Unemployment Fund of Service Union United PAM

The Fund Uses Around Ten Automation Solutions

Jusa Kaarni works as a development specialist at the unemployment fund and is responsible for defining automation solutions and product ownership. He explains that the solutions can be divided into three categories: application process automation, value-added tasks, and other processes.

Application Process Automation

This includes the pre-processing of new earnings-related allowance applications, checking and invoicing membership fees, and the automatic handling of adjusted and direct continuation applications.

“Automatic pre-processing of new applications a couple of weeks before actual handling ensures a smooth payment process. If information is missing from the application, the automation sends a request for additional details to the member, giving them the chance to provide the information without delaying payment,” Kaarni explains.

“Similarly, if the automation detects overdue membership fees, it sends an invoice so the application can be processed on time,” he adds.

Value-Added Tasks

Value-added automations include checks on tax accumulation and tax card type.

The first ensures on behalf of the member whether the income limit on their tax card is about to be exceeded and warns if the tax rate needs to be increased. The second informs the applicant if they have the option to apply for an amended tax card that allows a lower tax rate.

“These functions are not required of the unemployment fund, but we wanted to implement them because they can have a significant impact on the member’s livelihood,” says Kaarni.

Other Processes

In addition, the fund uses automations for membership joining and resignation processes, logging appeals, and handling garnishment payments for HR.

“These are individual use cases calculated to improve the member experience and reduce the workload of processors. They are routine but accuracy-critical tasks that, by automating, we have freed up employees’ time to serve members,” Kaarni explains.

Unemployment Fund of Service Union United PAM Benefits from Being a Pioneer in Automation

Thanks to the extensive adoption of automation, the fund’s efficiency has improved significantly. Application turnaround times are shorter than ever, and at the end of the month, queues are practically empty. Members receive the best possible service, and their trust in the organization has grown even further.

Work quality has also improved, as human errors in data checks have been eliminated. With automations handling routine tasks and checks, processors have gained the peace to focus on tasks requiring expertise.

“Investing in automation has proven to be a strategic decision that benefits all parties,” Kaarni concludes.

Smooth and Continuous Collaboration with Digia

Unemployment Fund of Service Union United PAM works extensively with Digia, with automation forming one area of collaboration. The nature of automation involves continuous development, as changing rules and updates to background systems often require changes to automations as well.

Kaarni praises Digia’s automation team as a professional and reliable partner with whom collaboration runs smoothly.

“Cooperation with Digia has been good from the start. Communication works, and changes and development ideas are implemented in as little as a couple of days. They also proactively bring their own suggestions to the table, for example, to improve quality control,” says Kaarni.

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