Where is AI making the biggest impact in utilities?

Industry articles
June 9, 2025

content EUROPE

Across the globe, utility companies are turning to artificial intelligence, not just to automate isolated tasks, but to fundamentally transform how they operate, serve customers, and plan for the future.

AI is now seen as a strategic asset, enabling smarter decision-making, greater operational efficiency, and a faster response to shifting customer expectations and infrastructure demands.

The benefits of AI extend across key utility functions, driving both efficiency and financial performance. By embracing AI, these companies are achieving meaningful results such as:

1. Freeing up time to focus on valuable work

2. Maximizing cost efficiency by optimizing operations

3. Automating workflows to proactively reduce delays and errors

4. Improving customer satisfaction to increase engagement and loyalty

5. Enhancing business decision-making with real-time, data-driven insight

Beyond process automation, AI enables smarter, data-driven decisions that directly impact profitability. One powerful example lies in the collections process: by analyzing usage and payment behavior, AI can identify high-risk accounts, guide targeted recovery efforts, and minimize operational burden and cost.

One of our customers successfully overhauled its collection strategy using AI and process automation. They shifted from a premises-based to a customer-based segmentation model to better prioritize accounts with high-value debts. The company automated key activities like debt analysis, work order creation, and closure. By integrating billing, payments, and field service functionalities, they enabled real-time cancellation of shut-off orders as soon as a payment was received, eliminating unnecessary site visits and improving resource deployment.

The results were substantial: 100% of the manual effort for collection analysis and assignment was eliminated, while the effort to assign or cancel work orders dropped by 66%. Unassigned shut-off orders fell from 53% to 22%, and the company saved up to $1 million in 2024 by avoiding unnecessary disconnection activity.

As the industry evolves, artificial intelligence is quickly becoming a critical differentiator. The companies leading this shift aren’t just innovating, they’re building more agile, intelligent, and operations. Don’t get left behind, join the AI revolution and unlock the full potential of your utility.

¿Está tu utility lista para liderar con IA reduciendo costos y mejorando la experiencia del cliente sin una transformación total?

Ready to see AI's impact beyond operations? Discover how AI can revolutionize your collections process and deliver significant financial savings with a real-life case study.

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Smartflex is a comprehensive platform for energy, water, gas, and non-traditional utilities, providing integrated solutions for customer information (CIS), self-service (CSS), meter data (MDM), and mobile workforce management (MWM). With native integration and embedded AI, it reduces costs, streamlines operations, and minimizes upgrade efforts. Smartflex accelerates digital transformation, fosters new business models, and enhances customer experience through its rule-based design and predefined workflows.