AI consulting · Energy
AI consulting for utilities and energy services companies
Native helps utilities and energy services companies put AI agents into field operations, compliance reporting and customer service. Agents close out work orders from crew notes and photos, assemble the evidence regulators ask for, and resolve routine billing and move requests. They stay out of grid control and operational technology entirely.
Featuring insights fromShaun Devan · Founder & CEOUpdated · 3 min read
Where AI has an impact in energy and utilities
Work order close-out
Crew notes, photos and timesheets turned into a complete work order for a supervisor to approve.
Asset record updates
As-built changes from the field flagged for the GIS and asset register.
Compliance evidence
Inspection and maintenance records gathered and checked against each reporting requirement.
Billing and start-stop requests
Move-ins, move-outs and routine billing questions resolved from the customer record.
Outage updates
Customer messages drafted from the outage system and approved before they go out.
Contractor invoices
Field contractor invoices checked against work orders and agreed rates.
Safety documentation
Job briefings and incident reports checked for completeness and filed against the job.
Interconnection requests
Solar and storage applications checked for missing documents before engineering review.
Where AI fits in a utility, and where it does not
Utilities run two kinds of systems: the operational technology that controls the network, and the business systems for work orders, billing, customers and compliance. AI agents belong in the second. Control systems stay where they are, behind the separation that NERC CIP and good practice demand.
The business side is where the hours go. Crews finish a job and the paperwork follows days later. Compliance teams rebuild the same evidence for every filing. Call centres handle the same billing and start-stop questions in their thousands. That work follows rules, which makes it the right place for agents.
What agents do, and what your people decide
| Work | Agent | Your team |
|---|---|---|
| Work order close-out | Builds the record from crew notes, photos and timesheets | Supervisor approves |
| Compliance evidence | Gathers inspection and maintenance records for each requirement | Compliance lead signs the filing |
| Billing questions and start-stop requests | Resolves them from the customer record | Handles disputes and hardship cases |
| Outage communications | Drafts updates from the outage system | Approves before they go out |
| Network switching and control | Never involved | Operators only |
Field operations
A work order is only finished when its record is: materials used, hours, as-built changes, photos and the right completion codes. Crews are not paid to type, so records arrive late and incomplete, and asset data drifts away from what is in the field.
Agents read crew notes, photos and timesheets, fill the work order in the asset system and flag what is missing while the crew is still nearby. Supervisors approve complete records, and the GIS stays closer to the network it describes.
Compliance reporting
Pipeline operators report to PHMSA, electric utilities answer to NERC and their state commission, and every rate case needs evidence of work done. Most of that evidence already exists in inspection records, maintenance logs and work orders, scattered across systems.
Agents gather the records each requirement calls for, check them for gaps and assemble the draft with every source attached. Your compliance team reviews and signs, and the next filing starts from a clean record instead of a scramble.
The systems we work with
Agents connect to the work and asset management, GIS and customer systems you already run, such as IBM Maximo, SAP S/4HANA Utilities, Oracle Customer Care and Billing, Esri ArcGIS and Salesforce. They run in your own cloud accounts under your security team's rules, with a log of every record they read or write.
How to measure the impact
- Days from job complete to work order closed
- Hours to assemble each compliance filing
- Customer contacts resolved without an agent
- Work orders returned for missing information
- Average handle time in the call centre
Case study · A regional gas and electric utility
A regional utility closed work orders the day the job finished.
Native helped a combined gas and electric utility put agents on work order close-out and customer billing requests. Supervisors now approve complete records the same day, and most routine customer contacts resolve without a call-centre agent.
The challenge
Field crews filled in work orders days after the job, often missing materials and photos, so supervisors sent records back and asset data lagged the field. The call centre was handling a steady volume of move-in, move-out and billing questions that followed simple rules.What we built
- A close-out agent that reads crew notes, photos and timesheets, fills the work order and flags anything missing for the crew.
- A customer agent that handles start, stop and billing requests from the customer record and hands disputes and hardship cases to staff.
- A log of every record the agents read or wrote, kept in the utility's own cloud account.
The result
Work orders closed while the job was fresh, asset data stayed current, and call-centre staff had time for the customers who needed help.Frequently asked questions
What does an AI consultant do for a utility?
An AI consultant finds where field, compliance and customer teams lose time to paperwork and repeat requests, then builds agents that take that work on inside your business systems. Native keeps one team from the first workshop to the day the agents are live and your staff are running them.
Is it safe to use AI in a utility?
Yes, when it is kept to business systems. Agents work on work orders, compliance records and customer requests, and stay out of grid control and operational technology entirely.
Can AI help with utility compliance reporting?
AI can gather inspection and maintenance records for each requirement, check them for gaps and draft the filing with sources attached. Your compliance team reviews and signs it.
Does AI work with Maximo or SAP for utilities?
Yes. Agents read and write through those systems' own interfaces, so work orders and asset records stay in the system of record.
Where should a utility start with AI?
Usually work order close-out or customer start-stop and billing requests. Both are high volume, follow clear rules, and show their impact within weeks.