Summary
A large investor-owned utility (IOU) used ServiceLink’s AI image validation to compare dial-meter photos against human entries, catching errors before billing. The project analyzed ~500,000 service orders, flagged ~5,000 mismatches, and directly inspired our latest in-field AI scanning and validation capabilities available today.
The Challenge: Dial Meter Misreads Were Driving Billing Issues
- Dial meters are easy to misread; even small mistakes cascade into billing disputes and executive escalations.
- Manual, after-the-fact reviews were too slow and costly to prevent errors from reaching customers.
- The utility needed real-time accuracy at the point of capture, not a back-office audit weeks later.
The Solution: AI Image Validation Built Into Field Workflows
ServiceLink added AI image validation to the IOU’s standard completion flow:
- Field tech snaps a photo of the meter while completing the order.
- AI reads the image and interprets the meter value.
- The system compares the AI read to the human-entered value and flags any mismatch instantly for review.
This moved quality control upstream, from manual reconciliation to automated, proactive validation.
The Results: Fewer Errors, Faster Resolution, Happier Customers
- ~500,000 service orders evaluated
- ~5,000 errors detected and corrected before billing
- Significant drop in escalations and complaints
- Repeatable approach that scales to additional use cases (e.g., serial numbers, asset condition, sanitation exceptions)
What It Enabled Next: Scan & Validate Right From the Field (Now Live)
The success of this project led directly to ServiceLink’s latest AI features:
- In-field AI scanning & validation: auto-populate form fields (reads, serials) from photos
- Real-time exceptioning: flag discrepancies on the device and fix it before leaving the site
- Broader image intelligence: detect conditions like damage or overfilled bins from a single shot
Why Utilities Choose ServiceLink for AI in the Field
- Accuracy at the edge: eliminate transcription errors where they start
- Faster workflows: less typing, more verifying, helping to finish jobs sooner
- CIS-ready data: validated readings flow cleanly into billing and reports
- Future-proof: the same AI pipeline extends to other visual checks and departments
Get a Demo
See how AI scanning and validation in the field can boost accuracy and speed for your utility.
Contact us to schedule a 30-minute walkthrough.
