Why agentic AI in utilities is changing the game for field staff

Utility operations are reaching a critical inflection point. Across energy, electric, gas, water, and telecom, field staff is being asked to maintain increasingly complex infrastructure while contending a shrinking workforce, aging assets, and intensifying safety and compliance requirements.

At the same time, utility leaders are under mounting pressure to modernize, driven by regulatory mandates, customer expectations for reliability, and the need to reduce operational costs in a volatile energy landscape. Customers expect seamless service and real-time updates. And investors are watching closely as utilities look to improve margins and meet sustainability goals.

But amidst this push for innovation, one critical link often gets overlooked: the field staff.

Why field staff can’t be left behind

While utility executives may champion digital transformation from the top, the reality on the ground is far less advanced. Many field staff are still toggling between outdated systems, scanning paper job orders, or relying on the tribal knowledge of seasoned colleagues to troubleshoot. And as reported by the U.S. Department of Energy, with more than 50% of the industry’s workforce eligible for retirement within the next decade, that level of field expertise is quickly disappearing.

This disconnect between innovation strategy and field execution is creating real operational risk. And it’s why the next wave of transformation must focus not just on systems but on people. Specifically, the people in the field who keep our infrastructure running every day.

That’s where AI comes in and why we built AI Field Assist.

Why agentic AI matters for field workers

The challenges facing field teams aren’t new, but they are intensifying.

67% of field workers lack access to right digital tools

One of the clearest indicators of this strain is the utilities’ struggle with first-time fix rates. According to Microsoft, 67% of field staff say they still lack access to the right digital tools to do their jobs efficiently. This inefficiency is costly, time-consuming, and frustrating for customers, which in turn, directly impacts operational budgets, customer satisfaction, and workforce productivity. Every repeat visit means more truck rolls, more downtime, and more pressure on already stretched crews.

50% of field workers may retire within the next decade

At the same time, the workforce itself is in a transitional period. With over 50% of utility workers eligible to retire in the next decade, the industry is facing a massive loss of institutional knowledge. New field service technicians are starting, but it can take years, sometimes up to three, for them to be able to work independently. That’s years of onboarding, trial and error, and reliance on the few remaining veterans who still know the ins and outs of legacy systems and procedures.

90% of safety incidents caused by human error

And then there’s safety. In high-risk environments like substations, gas lines, and storm-damaged infrastructure, even a small mistake can have serious consequences. Human error remains a leading cause of safety incidents in field service often due to lapses in procedure, incomplete information, or simple fatigue. In fact, 90% of safety incidents in utility field operations stem from human error or procedural lapses, underscoring just how critical it is to equip field service technicians with the right guidance at the right moment.

30% of field staff report time sunk from searching job data

All of this is compounded by the inefficiencies baked into the current toolset. 30% of field staff report lost time from searching job data, switching between apps, or trying to track down the right documentation. That’s time not spent solving problems, restoring service, or ensuring safety.

These aren’t isolated issues; they’re systemic. And they’re only getting worse as the pace of change accelerates. For utility leaders, the message is clear: modernizing the field isn’t just about adopting new technology. It’s about rethinking how that technology supports the people doing the work.

That’s why the next wave of innovation must meet field staff where they are with tools that are intuitive, intelligent, and built to work in the real world.

Field service management solution with AI agent

AI Field Assist is a field service management solution, powered by agentic AI, designed to support utility field staff in real-time. It’s a deeply embedded, context-aware solution that lives inside the field mobility platform your field staff already use, surfacing the right information, at the right time, in the flow of work.

At its core, this field service management solution is a mobile, voice-enabled assistant that is embedded directly into the same pane of glass workers already use, so there’s no need to toggle between apps or log into a separate system. That simplicity is intentional. It reduces friction, saves time, and ensures the AI is always accessible right when it’s needed most.

What agentic AI delivers for field staff

Field staff can speak to it naturally asking questions like, “What’s the inspection procedure for this valve?” or “What’s the torque spec for this transformer?” The AI agent listens, understands the context of the job, and responds with precise, relevant guidance. It pulls from your organization’s own documentation, procedures, and asset history using a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) framework, ensuring that answers are not only accurate but grounded in your real-world data.

This isn’t just a chatbot. It’s a field-ready AI agent that:

1. Understands job context.

It understands the work order, the asset, the location, and the field personnel’s role. That means it can tailor responses to the task at hand, whether it’s diagnostics, inspection, or safety compliance.

2. Surfaces the right content instantly.

Whether it’s a step-by-step procedure, a schematic, or a safety checklist, AI Field Assist delivers it in seconds—no searching required.

3. Guides new field service technicians like a digital mentor.

For newer field service technicians, it provides step-by-step walkthroughs of complex procedures, helping them build confidence and reduce reliance on senior staff. For experienced crews, it’s a fast, reliable way to double-check steps or access hard-to-remember specs.

4. Captures and closes knowledge gaps.

 As veteran technicians retire, the field service management solution helps preserve institutional knowledge by embedding it into workflows and making it accessible to everyone.

5. Reduces administrative burden.

It can help with post-job documentation, job closure summaries, and even flag incomplete steps to free up time for higher-value work.

Unlike traditional software that adds complexity, AI Field Assist simplifies. It doesn’t replace your existing field mobility platform but enhances it. And because it is not a rigid software license, it’s flexible, customizable, and cost-effective.

Powered by Microsoft: Trusted by the enterprise

At the heart of AI Field Assist is Microsoft’s trusted AI ecosystem. Built on Azure OpenAI and leveraging the Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) framework, the field service management solution combines the power of large language models with your organization’s own data securely and at scale.

This foundation brings several key advantages:

• Enterprise trust and security: Azure provides the compliance, data governance, and security standards that utility organizations demand. Your data stays protected, and your AI stays accountable.
• Seamless integration: Because many utilities already run on Microsoft infrastructure, AI Field Assist can plug into your existing environment, connecting with Azure Data Lake, Microsoft Entra ID, SharePoint, and more.
• Scalable and customizable: Unlike rigid SaaS platforms, AI Field Assist can be tailored to your workflows, your data, and your systems, without the overhead of long-term licensing.
• Future-ready architecture: With Microsoft’s ongoing investment in AI, cloud, and edge computing, AI Field Assist is built to evolve alongside your organization’s digital strategy while aligning with the platforms and priorities utility leaders already trust.

What’s Next

This is just the beginning. In Part 2 of our series, we’ll take you behind the scenes of our field service management solution, showing what makes it different, how it works, real-world impact, and the measurable impact for utilities leaders and field workers alike. Learn more about AI Field Assist here.