This template is part of the meter correction disputes guide. The warm introduction brief helps with the covering message, and the client opportunity brief generator drafts similar notes for other record types.
What never goes in the brief
- No customer names, service addresses, account numbers, device serials or bills.
- No exports, screenshots, sample reads or logins, not even a single redacted case.
- No client utility names, unless the company has said they may be shared.
- No guess presented as fact: every figure says who supplied it, and unknown is a valid answer.
The blank template
Fill in the right-hand column with the billing operations head. Each line should take one sentence.
| Line | What to write | Usually answered by |
|---|---|---|
| Business task | One sentence on how disputes become approved corrections | Billing operations head |
| Company shape | Utility, billing services firm or contractor; number of client utilities if any | Billing operations head |
| Headcount | Full-time employees at peak, contractors excluded | HR or finance |
| Systems | Head-end or MDM, billing system, customer service tool, field app, by plain name | System administrators |
| Years of history | First and last year of disputes; gaps around earlier system changes | Billing operations head |
| Volume and error mix | Rough count of corrections; share from scaling, wiring and read errors | Billing analyst, estimate |
| Linking quality | Is device history kept by service point? Are scaling factors dated? Do tickets cite bills? | System administrators |
| Access event | Documented cutover or decommissioning date for the old platform | Project lead |
| Open question | The dispute pattern nobody has checked across years | Billing operations head |
| Ownership note | Which records are the company's and which are held for clients | Contracts lead, counsel |
| Authorized contact | Name and title of the officer who can approve | Billing operations head |
| Sponsor | Who checked the brief | Billing operations head |
The "Linking quality" line saves everyone time. NB Power's customer guide points out that the external part of a large account's billing multiplier, set by the current transformer ratio, is not shown on the meter, so the device alone cannot confirm it. Whether that value carries an effective date decides whether an old bill can be recomputed at all.
A completed brief (Illustrative)
Every value below is invented for a fictional company. It shows the level of detail to aim for, not a real opportunity.
| Line | Illustrative entry |
|---|---|
| Business task | Resolving disputed bills caused by metering or configuration errors, through an approved correction and an updated device record |
| Company shape | Billing and metering services firm serving six client utilities, mostly municipal |
| Headcount | About 410 full-time employees at peak (HR) |
| Systems | MDM, billing system, separate customer service tool, field app |
| Years of history | Nine years of disputes; a thin year around a billing upgrade |
| Volume and error mix | About 1,800 corrections; roughly a fifth scaling or wiring errors (billing analyst, estimate) |
| Linking quality | Device history by service point; factors dated since the upgrade; tickets cite bills in a structured field |
| Access event | Old MDM switched off on the date in the signed cutover plan |
| Open question | When a replacement device came with a different scaling factor, can each case still be recomputed from stored reads and dated factors? |
| Ownership note | Workflow records are the firm's; device and customer data held under client contracts |
| Authorized contact | CEO, with general counsel |
| Sponsor | Billing operations head |
Why the error mix line matters: PG&E's Rule 17.1 names several distinct kinds of billing error, from wrong scaling and swapped wiring to misreads and calculation mistakes. Each leaves a different trail, and a rough split tells SourceX which trails to expect.
Where partners usually slip
- Company shape left blank. A billing services firm holding client data is a different conversation from a utility; the decision tree on who can license these records explains why.
- Systems listed as one. Disputes usually span four tools, as the system map shows.
- Open question too vague. "We have lots of disputes" says nothing. The worked scaling-factor case shows what a sharp question looks like.
- Sponsor named as signer. The billing operations head sponsors; an officer signs.
Final checks before you submit
The company needs 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), a documented operating history, rights to license the records and an authorized contact. Companies in the U.S., Canada and the EU qualify, as do companies in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, South Africa, Latin America, the UAE and Saudi Arabia when at least 90% of the data is in English. Partners sign the Channel Partner Agreement before submitting introductions; the first valid introduction within the 90-day window is credited when the company submits a verified application.
SourceX licenses approved business data directly from companies for AI training and evaluation and manages the agreement, rights review, data preparation, delivery and payout. Unknown until it reviews the opportunity: buyer interest, which records the company holds rights to, which client records are excluded, how customer data is de-identified, the offer and any reward. Related candidates are listed under energy and utilities and other sectors on the industries hub.
Next step
Refer a company. Earn up to $100,000. Default reward: 25% of Actual Supplier Payout, capped at $100,000 cumulatively per referred company. Eligibility and payment conditions apply, and a signed Schedule A or addendum can differ. A lead, meeting or signature alone does not trigger payment.
When the billing operations head has checked every line and the named officer agrees to a call, register as a partner, confirm the company on who qualifies and keep the program terms beside the brief as you submit it.