AI and Utilities: How Neta Transforms Core Processes with Artificial Intelligence

The Utilities sector is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. Companies are facing the pressure of increasingly stringent regulations, the complexity of modernizing critical infrastructures, and shrinking margins in a constantly evolving market. At the same time, customers expect advanced, personalized, and instantly accessible digital services that guarantee transparency and simplicity in everyday interactions.

In this scenario, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as a strategic enabler capable of transforming core Utility processes and generating value across the entire service chain. Neta has chosen to integrate AI into its IT solution portfolio to address these challenges, evolving from a technology provider into a strategic partner for digital innovation and sustainability.

1. Utilities Industry Challenges

Utilities companies face a set of complex and interconnected challenges:

• Operational and regulatory pressures: compliance with national and European regulations requires continuous updates to systems and processes.
• Shrinking margins: the energy transition and investments in sustainable technologies require significant resources, while competition and market liberalization continue to drive prices down.
• Rising customer expectations: end users expect simple, transparent, and fully digital services, with seamless interactions and rapid responses.
• Data-driven operations: the exponential growth of data generated by smart meters, IoT sensors, and distributed platforms makes effective data governance essential to transform information into actionable insights.

2. AI as a Strategic Accelerator

Artificial Intelligence represents a key lever for addressing these challenges. It is not just a technology, but an enabler that helps organizations improve resilience, efficiency, and sustainability.

AI enables Utilities to move beyond siloed approaches and rigid automation, adopting proactive and adaptive processes that continuously learn and optimize themselves. Predictive algorithms help anticipate consumption patterns, anomalies, and risk behaviors, while intelligent automation reduces repetitive activities and operational costs.

For Utilities, this translates into data-driven decision-making, greater accuracy across Meter-to-Cash and CRM processes, and a new ability to build trust-based relationships with customers and stakeholders.

3. AI Embedded into Neta Processes

The adoption of AI within Neta solutions has a clear objective: bringing intelligent automation where it truly creates value. Through dedicated modules and AI-powered agents, the technology supports Meter-to-Cash processes by reducing errors, processing times, and repetitive tasks, while providing operators with a digital assistant trained on business processes and continuously updated knowledge.

This approach enables more efficient workflows capable of retrieving information from multiple sources and providing support throughout every operational phase.

Alongside AI features embedded within the application modules, Neta has developed a portfolio of AI Agents designed to support both operators and customers in an intelligent and proactive way.

AI Agent Back Office

Designed to assist operators in managing complex tickets, onboarding new resources, and producing advanced reporting. The agent provides real-time support, recommends the most appropriate procedures, automates repetitive tasks, and accesses corporate databases to summarize critical information.

The benefits are significant: faster response times, fewer errors, greater autonomy even for less experienced operators, integrated continuous learning, and an overall improvement in user experience.

Customer Portal and AMS

AI Agents integrated into the Customer Portal and Application Management Service (AMS) enable centralized and intelligent service management by classifying incoming tickets, assigning them to the most suitable operator, and suggesting automated resolutions.

These agents can also automatically enrich the knowledge base by transforming resolved tickets into useful knowledge articles, generate reports on SLAs, incidents, and key metrics, and identify recurring patterns and anomalies to enable proactive issue management.

AI Enabling

A further step forward is represented by AI Enabling, the orchestration of Neta intelligent agents with external platforms such as CRM systems (Salesforce), ERP solutions (SAP or Oracle), and other Meter-to-Cash platforms.

This approach transforms platforms from standalone tools into collaborative ecosystems where agents exchange data and business logic to deliver integrated services, including:

• Proactive explanations for unusually high bills.
• Personalized offer recommendations based on consumption patterns.
• Automated management of payment plans and debt repayment plans.

4. AI Use Cases Under Evaluation Within Neta Solutions

The integration of AI within the Neta Open Suite enhances core Utility processes across all key business areas. Several use cases currently under evaluation focus on specific business outcomes that each Meter-to-Cash module can deliver to customers.

Metering Data Management

Within Metering Data Management, objectives such as more accurate billing, reduced losses and fraud, and more efficient network resource planning can be achieved through:

• Meter data reconciliation and validation.
• Anomaly and fraud detection.
• Consumption forecasting.
• Dynamic validation mechanisms.

Billing Management

Within Billing Management, goals such as billing accuracy, reduced complaints, improved cash flow, and increased customer satisfaction and trust can be supported through:

• Intelligent consumption estimation algorithms.
• Adaptive billing processes.
• Anomaly detection capabilities.
• Consumption behavior-based tariff optimization.

Credit Management

Within Credit Management, reducing credit risk and improving collection strategies can be supported through:

• Predictive credit scoring.
• Early warning systems for payment defaults.
• Dynamic optimization of collection strategies.

Conclusion

Artificial Intelligence is set to become an essential component for Utilities, which must manage increasingly complex processes, growing volumes of data, and ever more demanding customers.

Through its suite of solutions enriched with intelligent algorithms and digital agents, Neta provides Utility companies not only with advanced technology, but also with a strategic approach designed to reduce errors and costs, ensure compliance, improve customer experience, and create new business opportunities.