Starting point
Billing & meters
Read and bill utility meters automatically
Every new meter reading is automatically compared against the previous period and, if plausible, turned directly into a billing line item. Noticeable outliers go to the responsible person instead of being posted unnoticed.
Process architecture
From meter reading to a checked billing line item.
The process reads new meter readings from the leading metering system, compares them against the previous period and the expected consumption, and creates the billing line item when the reading is plausible. It is a simple, rule-based process with one leading system; only the noticeable individual case needs a decision.
01Input
Open quotes and their context come together.
The process starts with silence rather than a message: a quote that has had no answer for days. The leading system supplies the quote, its deadline and the contact, together with the correspondence already attached to the case.
2 Steps
02Process
The right message is derived from the state of the case.
The draft comes from the quote itself, not from a template full of placeholders. The rules then check whether a follow-up is allowed at all; anything outside the agreed frame goes to a salesperson.
4 Steps
03Output
The message goes out and the case stays traceable.
The follow-up sits in the same conversation as the quote, sales sees the current state without asking, and every attempt is documented on the case.
3 Steps
Source01Capture the new reading
A scheduled run picks up newly transmitted meter readings from the metering system, whether by remote reading or manual entry.Details
Capture the new reading
A scheduled run picks up newly transmitted meter readings from the metering system, whether by remote reading or manual entry.
Interfaces
- Microsoft Graph API
- SharePoint API
Next steps
- Load previous period and unit
Data02Load previous period and unit
The previous meter reading and the assigned billing unit are loaded from the property management software.Details
Load previous period and unit
The previous meter reading and the assigned billing unit are loaded from the property management software.
Interfaces
- Azure AI Document Intelligence
- Mistral OCR
- Dataverse API
Next steps
- Calculate consumption
Action03Calculate consumption
Old and new readings yield the consumption for the period, accounting for a meter replacement or rollover.Details
Calculate consumption
Old and new readings yield the consumption for the period, accounting for a meter replacement or rollover.
Interfaces
- Power Automate
- Azure Functions
- Microsoft Graph API
Next steps
- Check plausibility
Decision04Check plausibility
The calculated consumption is checked against a fixed threshold relative to the same unit's consumption last year; a large deviation counts as noticeable.Details
Check plausibility
The calculated consumption is checked against a fixed threshold relative to the same unit's consumption last year; a large deviation counts as noticeable.
Interfaces
- Azure OpenAI GPT
- Anthropic Claude
- AI Builder
Next steps
- Create the billing line itemstandard case
- Review the flagged readingexception
Approval05Review the flagged reading
For a deviation above the threshold the responsible person reviews the reading and confirms or corrects it before further processing.Details
Review the flagged reading
For a deviation above the threshold the responsible person reviews the reading and confirms or corrects it before further processing.
Interfaces
- Teams Adaptive Cards
- Power Apps
Next steps
- Create the billing line itemafter approval
System06Create the billing line item
The reviewed consumption is multiplied by the stored tariff into the unit's billing line item and created in the billing system.Details
Create the billing line item
The reviewed consumption is multiplied by the stored tariff into the unit's billing line item and created in the billing system.
Interfaces
- Dynamics 365 API
- Azure Service Bus
Next steps
- Hand off the line item
- Inform the management team
Result07Hand off the line item
The billing line item is ready in the billing system for the next billing period, with consumption volume and period.Details
Hand off the line item
The billing line item is ready in the billing system for the next billing period, with consumption volume and period.
Interfaces
- Power BI API
- Teams Webhook
Next steps
- Log the reading
Result08Inform the management team
A daily summary names the readings processed and the number of reviewed outliers.Details
Inform the management team
A daily summary names the readings processed and the number of reviewed outliers.
Interfaces
- Power BI API
- Teams Webhook
Result09Log the reading
Reading, consumption and review status are logged on the meter, traceable for the next reading.Details
Log the reading
Reading, consumption and review status are logged on the meter, traceable for the next reading.
Interfaces
- Power BI API
- Teams Webhook
System landscape
One leading system, clear rules.
- Microsoft
Microsoft Graph API
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
SharePoint API
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Azure AI Document Intelligence
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Mistral OCR
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Dataverse API
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Power Automate
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Azure Functions
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Azure OpenAI GPT
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Anthropic Claude
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
AI Builder
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Teams Adaptive Cards
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Power Apps
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Dynamics 365 API
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Azure Service Bus
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Power BI API
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Teams Webhook
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Interfaces in use
REST API
Reads new meter readings from the metering system and writes the checked billing line item back.
- Interfaces in use
SFTP
Picks up readings from systems that only provide them as an export file instead of a direct interface.
- Interfaces in use
PostgreSQL
Read access to previous period values, tariffs and unit assignment.
- Interfaces in use
Webhook
Forwards a manually corrected reading immediately so billing doesn't have to wait for the next run.
- Possible apps & platforms
Verwaltungssoftware für Nebenkosten
Leading system for units, tariffs and billing periods.
- Possible apps & platforms
Zählerfernauslesesystem
Source of the automatically transmitted meter readings.
- Possible apps & platforms
Excel oder Google Sheets
Storage for meters without remote reading, with manual entry.
- Possible apps & platforms
E-Mail
Delivery channel for the daily summary to the management team.
Implementation in context
What the process does and what it deliberately leaves to people.
The process is deliberately kept simple: one leading metering system, a fixed threshold rule, no evaluation of unstructured text. That makes it quick to roll out and easy for management to follow.
There is a review step only for the noticeable individual case. The standard case – consumption within the expected range – runs through without human review, because the rule can be decided unambiguously.
Consumption data stays inside the company's property management software and metering system; no additional copy of the data is sent to an external service. Every billing line item carries the timestamp of its review.
Target picture
Every reading is checked immediately after transmission and turned into a billing line item. Outliers are reported the same day, not at the end of the billing year. Management sees the state continuously instead of reviewing a large batch once a year.
Expected benefits
- Meter readings are checked continuously instead of in one large annual batch.
- Transcription errors and meter replacements surface immediately, not during the objection period.
- The standard case runs through without human review, because the threshold can be decided unambiguously.
- Management gets a daily overview instead of one annual bulk task.
- The process works without a new system, connecting directly to the software already in place.
Prerequisites to start
- 01A metering system or storage from which new readings can be read automatically or as an export.
- 02Property management software with units, tariffs and billing periods per meter.
- 03A defined threshold above which a deviation counts a reading as noticeable.
- 04Named ownership for reviewing flagged meter readings.
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Your next step
Which process costs your team unnecessary time every day?
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