Sentinels
Sentinels are VH3 AI’s proactive monitoring layer. They run 24/7 against your operational data to detect emerging risks and growth opportunities while there is still time to act. Detection is a structured graph read, with near-zero AI cost at the watch layer. For operators, a sentinel is the morning signal that something changed: repeat visits on one account, SLA slips in a region, a dormant customer worth calling, or an engineer-flagged follow-up that needs a quote.How sentinels work
Every sentinel is a structured read on the operational model: a query against the intelligence layer that evaluates a specific operational signal against configurable thresholds. Conversational AI is only invoked if you choose to generate a narrative explanation or briefing from the result.1
Detection
The sentinel query runs against your graph, looking for the pattern it’s designed to detect (e.g. repeat visits at a site exceeding threshold).
2
Scoring
Results are scored by severity. Each sentinel has a default threshold that determines what counts as a trigger vs. noise.
3
Delivery
Triggered results are available via the API, and can be routed to Slack, Teams, email, or WhatsApp via automation.
Configuration
Every sentinel supports these configuration parameters:Operational sentinels
Thirteen operational sentinels monitor for emerging risks across engineers, sites, customers, and SLAs:Engineer performance slip
Detects engineers whose SLA punctuality or completion quality has degraded compared to their historical baseline. Catches problems early, before a pattern becomes a client complaint.Site deterioration
Identifies sites where fault frequency or repeat visits are trending upward. Surfaces sites that may need a planned maintenance visit to reduce continued reactive attendance.SLA breach cluster
Finds concentrated SLA breaches, by geography, engineer, customer, or time period. Distinguishes between isolated misses and systemic problems.Scheduling drift
Flags jobs where planned vs. actual timings are diverging. Useful when planning assumptions have drifted from reality.Data quality issues
Surfaces anomalies in job records that may indicate extraction or ingestion problems, helping keep the intelligence layer clean.Growth opportunity sentinels
Six growth sentinels surface revenue opportunities hiding in your operational history:Dormant customer
Identifies customers with no recent job activity who previously had regular engagement. Useful for re-engagement and churn-risk review.Overdue service interval
Flags equipment or sites that have passed their recommended service interval, creating maintenance-contract review opportunities.Single-service cross-sell
Finds customers using only one service line when your business offers multiple, with evidence for cross-sell conversations.Engineer-flagged follow-up
Surfaces jobs where engineers noted “follow up,” “recommend,” or “return visit”, so missed quote or revisit opportunities can be reviewed.Seasonal buying patterns
Identifies customers whose service rhythms suggest upcoming seasonal needs, supporting proactive outreach.Geographic upsell clusters
Finds neighbourhoods where one scheduled visit would make multiple nearby follow-ups economical.API access
Sentinel results can be run on demand, read as a digest, or reviewed historically.
Use the digest for daily operating rhythm. Use results when a manager wants to inspect trends or build a report section.
Automation
Sentinel results are most powerful when routed automatically. Common patterns:- Daily Slack digest: summary of all sentinel triggers posted to an ops channel each morning
- Email alerts: critical sentinels (SLA breach cluster, site deterioration) sent to account managers immediately
- Weekly report inclusion: sentinel results embedded in weekly operational reports
- Case creation: high-severity triggers automatically create a case for follow-up
- WhatsApp notifications: urgent alerts routed to field managers on the move
From signal to ownership
A useful sentinel result should have somewhere to go. High-severity triggers can open a case, attach the relevant jobs or customer records, and assign ownership to the team responsible for that account, region, or function. Example flow:- Repeat attendance sentinel flags a customer with three fire-panel callouts in six weeks.
- The digest routes the result to the regional operations channel.
- An automation opens a case, attaches the jobs, and assigns the regional team.
- Connie drafts a short briefing with the cited job references for the coordinator.
Related
Working with your operation
How operators use sentinels in the daily rhythm.
Reports
Include sentinel digests in scheduled operational reporting.
Operational discovery
Run precedent searches after a sentinel flags a pattern.
Users and teams
How teams own the work that sentinels surface.