A steady flow of people passes through the open doors of Monitori. One person is renewing their Föli card, another needs advice on daycare places, and a third needs help filling in Kela forms. What they all have in common is that help is available in the same place – face to face

Monitori at the Market Square is a joint service point of the City of Turku, Kela and Varha, where customers are served on site, by phone and via chat. Support is also available for digital services when needed, as Monitori has computers and printers that customers can use either independently or with assistance.

“Not everyone has the opportunity to use digital services, and not all services can be digitalised. That is why a shared customer service point for several different operators, such as Monitori, is an important meeting place: our slogan is ‘one door, many services’,” says Customer Service Manager Sari Kinnunen.

Versatile guidance

Monitori receives 400–800 customers every day. The quietest time is around midday, while the busiest times are the first Monday of each month and the months of August, September and January. Customers can access services by selecting a queue number for the service they need.

Most customers visit the City’s service desk with questions related to Föli. Employment services and Kela services are also in demand, and appointments can also be booked for them in advance.

Nearly one fifth of Turku residents have a mother tongue other than Finnish or Swedish. At Monitori, they are advised and supported by the customer advisors of International House Turku, who provide service in more than ten languages.

Our goal is to look into the customer’s matter until a solution is found.

 

“Monitori is a special workplace, as the staff consists of employees from several different organisations. We are a multidisciplinary and multicultural work community, united by the desire to meet different people and make their everyday lives easier. Our goal is to look into the customer’s matter until a solution is found,” Kinnunen says, describing the work community’s attitude.

Two people are talking while looking at a computer screen. (Picture: Jonne Mattila)
Monitori has computers and printers that customers can use also with assistance.
Image: Jonne Mattila

City of Turku services at Monitori

Monitori provides guidance for many kinds of everyday situations. In addition to the City’s customer services and International House Turku, it also offers employment and entrepreneurship services, tourist information and service guidance for early childhood education and care.

In addition to Föli, the customer services are responsible for customer service related to sports services, resident and business parking, boat berth rentals, and bookings for youth facilities and camp areas.

In employment and entrepreneurship services, customers are received without an appointment, while the service at Sampotalo on Yliopistonkatu operates by appointment.

Many multilingual customers use the service guidance for early childhood education and care, and not all of them have the opportunity to handle their matters electronically.

Tourist information serves tourists and, for the time being, also sells tickets for the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra and the Turku Music Festival.

Welcome to Monitori at the Market Square

  • Aurakatu 8, street level of the KOP-kolmio building
  • Open Mon–Thu 9.00–18.00, Fri 9.00–16.00
  • City of Turku customer service, tel. 02 262 0100
  • Chat service Mon–Fri 9.00–16.00


Please note: Opening hours vary between services. It is advisable to check them in advance.

www.turku.fi/en/monitori

In 2025 Monitori served

  • nearly 160,000 customers face to face
  • nearly 45,000 customers by phone
  • nearly 10,000 customers via chat

TEXT: JAANA RÄSÄNEN-NAUSKA, IMAGES: MARKUS KORHONEN, JONNE MATTILA

The article has been published in Finnish in Turkuposti 2, 2026.