Global study of 400 utilities highlights embedding operational AI enables energy leaders to maximize business outcomes, transform customer experience
LOS ALTOS, Calif., October 28, 2026–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A pivotal new IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Bidgely in partnership with AWS and Snowflake, From Patchwork to Platform, assesses how far utilities have progressed in transforming their customer operations and which capabilities separate those that have achieved full expected outcomes. Based on a survey of 400 utilities and energy retailers across 14 global markets, the IDC InfoBrief reveals that despite the widespread standardization of cloud solutions and IT infrastructure, only 25 percent of utilities have reached the level where real-time data and embedded intelligence reshape operations.
“Most utilities have standardized their customer operations, yet standardization only builds the foundation, and it is at the intelligent level, where real-time data and embedded AI reshape how customers are served, that measurable value accelerates,” said Gaia Gallotti, Research Director at IDC Energy Insights. “With only 1 in 4 utilities having crossed that threshold, it is imperative to stop treating platform modernization as the finish line and to start building personalization and operational AI on top of it.”
According to IDC, affordability, electrification and rising expectations now converge at the customer interface faster than most customer operations systems were built to absorb. This InfoBrief measured utilities against six core business outcomes: cost to serve, digital self-service, speed to launch, agent productivity, billing accuracy, and energy program participation.
In addition to citing personalization as the clearest marker of successful transformation, the research explains how ‘Advanced’ utilities are building intelligence layers atop their IT infrastructures that enhance decision-making and customer-facing operations.
Key Findings: The Differentiators Driving Real-World ROI
According to the IDC InfoBrief, top-tier energy leaders differentiate themselves across four key operational pillars:
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Integrated Platform Architecture: Utilities reaching Level 4 (“Intelligent”) maturity report dramatic performance surges, with 71 to 86 percent achieving top-tier results across customer experience, organizational agility and operational efficiency once platform-level intelligence is applied.
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Operationalizing AI: Advanced utilities lead by +43 percentage points in embedding AI directly into operational decision support and daily workflows, and +31 percentage points in moving Generative AI into live production beyond initial pilots.
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Personalized Customer Engagement: Advanced utilities excel at hyper-personalized engagement, with 90 percent delivering predictive or real-time interactions—compared to just 20 percent of their industry peers—driving higher satisfaction and customer trust.
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Scalable Grid Flexibility: High maturity in customer operations enables utilities to drive massive participation gains in energy programs—such as demand response, EV charging and load flexibility programs—with 86 percent of Level 4 mature utilities seeing dramatic increases in energy program participation compared to 26 percent at Level 3.