Use Case - Smart Meter Installation

The Context

An end customer contacts the service provider (via a web portal or Call Center) to request the replacement of a faulty utility meter.

Operational Flow and System Impact

1. Ingestion and Localization

The external CRM or Customer Portal queries the NextGen Platform, sending the customer’s data, physical address, and job type (WO Type: Meter Replacement).

• System Action: The platform geolocates the address and identifies that it belongs to Micro-Cluster (mC) NY-ZONE-3. Reading the constraints of the Work Order Type, the system detects that this intervention is bound by a Booking Service Level (b.s.l.) of a maximum of 5 working days.

2. Real-Time Proposal (FirstDate)

The web portal requests available dates from the platform to display to the customer.

• System Action: The Booking engine scans the Forecasting Model for mC NY-ZONE-3 within the 5-day Planning Time Frame. It identifies that next Wednesday, in the 08:00 - 12:00 Time Slot, there is still available capacity to route a technician while minimizing travel time. The system proposes this date.

3. Negotiation and Temporary Status (FurtherDate)

The customer rejects Wednesday morning due to work commitments and asks for a late afternoon option on a different day.

• System Action: The external system requests alternative options. NextGen proposes Thursday in the 16:00 - 20:00 Time Slot. The customer selects this option. During the seconds the customer proceeds to checkout, the appointment takes on a Temporary status: a draft Work Order is generated in the system, and that single capacity token in Thursday afternoon's Time Slot is frozen to prevent anyone else from booking it simultaneously.

4. Confirmation and Handover to Dispatching (ConfirmDate)

The customer clicks "Confirm Appointment" on the portal.

• System Action: The portal sends the confirmation command to NextGen. The appointment status instantly changes from Temporary to Scheduled. The capacity counter for that specific Time Slot in zone NY-ZONE-3 is officially deducted by one unit. The Work Order is consolidated in the database and is now live and visible in the Daily Plan, ready to be scheduled to the technician.