Creating AI Agents for the Utilities Industry can be hard. Utilities sit at the center of modern life, and customer expectations now match that reality. When the power goes out, when a gas smell is reported, or when a bill spikes unexpectedly, people do not want a link to an FAQ. They want immediate, reliable answers and real action.
At the same time, the operating environment is getting harder. Aging infrastructure, extreme weather, grid modernization, and electrification are all increasing service complexity. In the United States, customers experienced an average of 11 hours of electricity interruptions in 2024, nearly double the annual average of the previous decade. During these peak events, “busy signals” and long wait times are not just frustrating, they erode trust in a critical service.
That is why utilities are moving beyond basic chatbots and toward enterprise-grade AI Agents.
With Teneo 8, utilities can deploy Enterprise Agentic AI that scales across voice and digital channels, automates the highest-volume journeys end-to-end, and still preserves the control, safety, and PII protection required for critical infrastructure.
The possibilities of building an Utility AI Agent
The possibilities with AI Agent exceed further than “What are your business hours?”. A utility AI Agent must operate inside real workflows, under real constraints.
A Teneo AI Agent does not just reassure customers during an outage, it orchestrates the work:
- It doesn’t just say “Thank you for your feedback, we are aware,” it provides real-time restoration ETAs, location-aware updates, and proactive alerts.
- It doesn’t just explain a bill, it diagnoses the cause, supports secure payments, and sets up payment plans within policy.
- It doesn’t just create a ticket, it captures hazard details and routes the right event to the right system, safely and fast.
In utilities industry, the goal is not only acknowledging the customer and thanking them for their feedback. The goal is to help them.
Winning trust across the full utility customer lifecycle
Utility service is a lifecycle, not a single interaction. The best experience is consistent from move-in to outage peaks to smart energy programs, all while maintaining strict governance.
1) Move and onboarding
The first impression is operational, not emotional: start service, verify identity, confirm address.
Teneo AI Agents can:
- Automate start, stop, and transfer requests
- Validate service addresses and premise details
- Set up new accounts and handle identity verification with enterprise security
- Reduce back-and-forth by collecting the right information upfront
2) Outage and emergency peaks
Outages create massive inbound spikes. This is where automation matters most.
Teneo AI Agents can:
- Handle surge volumes across voice, web, and messaging
- Provide restoration ETAs and status updates in real time
- Capture hazard details like downed lines or gas leaks
- Trigger automated outbound alerts so customers get updates before they call
3) Billing and payments
Billing is where trust is often lost because the “why” is complex and the “what now” is urgent.
Teneo AI Agents can:
- Explain bill fluctuations in plain language using account context
- Process secure payments and set up autopay
- Negotiate payment plans or deferred balances within policy
- Route sensitive disputes to the right queue with full context attached
4) Usage and metering
Modern usage questions are not simple. Customers want clarity, comparisons, and actionable guidance.
Teneo AI Agents can:
- Interpret consumption trends and answer “Why is my usage higher?”
- Guide meter self-reads to resolve estimated billing discrepancies
- Provide personalized energy-saving tips and program recommendations
5) Smart home, solar, and EV programs
The grid is becoming interactive. Customers need help navigating rates, devices, and incentives.
Teneo AI Agents can:
- Support enrollment in solar programs and EV charging rates
- Assist with smart meter pairing and connected device questions
- Manage rebates for energy-efficient upgrades and appliances
6) Field operations and dispatch
Service is not complete until the work is done, and coordination gaps are expensive.
Teneo AI Agents can:
- Schedule technician appointments for installs or inspections
- Provide reminder messages and arrival windows
- Capture site access details to reduce failed visits and repeat dispatches
7) Safety, compliance, and sensitive journeys
Utilities deal with regulated processes, disconnections, and sensitive personal data.
Teneo AI Agents can:
- Execute secure verification for account changes
- Provide instant guidance during safety-related disconnections
- Maintain GDPR-compliant data handling and reduce PII exposure risk
8) Sustainability and decarbonization programs
Utilities are expected to help customers change behavior, not just pay bills.
Teneo AI Agents can:
- Promote carbon-offset and efficiency programs
- Support time-of-use optimization and demand-response enrollment
- Help utilities meet regulatory decarbonization targets with scalable guidance
Why Hybrid AI is critical for utilities
Utilities cannot afford an LLM that improvises. Outage communications, safety guidance, billing policy, and identity flows require strict control.
Teneo uses a Hybrid AI approach:
- LLM-driven conversation for natural, empathetic customer experiences
- A deterministic intelligence layer to enforce rules, safety guardrails, and policy flows
- Multi-LLM orchestration to select the best model for the task while keeping governance consistent
- Enterprise PII protection so sensitive data stays protected and controlled across the full journey
This is how utilities scale automation without sacrificing accuracy, compliance, or trust.
The result: no busy signals during peak events, and a service experience built for critical infrastructure
Teneo AI Agents for utilities turn crisis spikes into coordinated communication, transform billing journeys into clear resolutions, and connect customer service to field operations and modern energy programs.
Want to build AI Agents for the utilities industry?
Ramazan Gurbuz
Product Marketing Executive at Teneo.ai with a background in Conversational AI and software development. Combines technical depth and strategic marketing to lead global AI product launches, developer initiatives, and LLM-driven growth campaigns.