Delivering positive ROI from mobile-enabled projects

Table of Contents

  1. Summary
  2. Why does ROI matter in mobility projects?
  3. 7 practical examples
    1. Sales
    2. Field support (Example 1)
    3. Field support (Example 2)
    4. Logistics
    5. Local government (Example 1)
    6. Local government (Example 2)
    7. Administration
  4. Calculating ROI on mobility projects (increased revenues, reduced costs, improved efficiencies)
  5. Key takeaways: how enterprises should approach mobility projects that will deliver positive ROI
  6. About Charles Brett

1. Summary

The concept of deploying mobile devices into enterprises breaks down into two schools of thought:

  • The first is a passive acceptance on the part of managers: Here, the expectation is that introducing solutions based around mobile technologies just makes sense, if only because today’s employees expect it. Much of this has to do with the arrival of the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) movement and the associated employee expectations that they will do better in their work by using these devices in their own ways.
  • The second is a business-driven approach that bases its justifications on specific calculations of the return on investment (ROI).

This report demonstrates what enterprises can achieve by focusing on the second. In the following sections we will look at seven real examples from enterprises — covering sales, field support, distribution and logistics, local government, and administration — that are benefiting from a positive ROI. Every mobility project varies in the amount of ROI delivered and how each organization (whether enterprise or government) measures the net savings, new opportunities, or operational efficiencies. The basic message, however, remains simple: Mobile technologies are able to deliver process change and even business model change.

What is also clear from these examples is that introducing mobile technologies really can deliver substantial and ongoing ROI, even across multiple different disciplines. Indeed, there may even be a hidden formula: For each added business process (or business vertical) involved in a mobile solution, the potential gain can double.

For organizations looking to move toward a more business-driven model, GigaOM Research recommends four key practices for success:

  • Think through in advance what your organization wishes to achieve with a mobility strategy.
  • Examine thoroughly the processes that will be involved, and understand the associated costs and benefits of mobility-enabled change.
  • Develop a solution model against which to calculate the potential ROI and, therefore, your decision parameters about whether to invest. This will also be the basis of an ongoing assessment of a mobility initiative’s success.
  • Remember that automating existing practices within the organization is less likely to deliver maximum returns. Thinking flexibly and crossing process and business boundaries produce ever better results.

The target audience for this analysis includes:

  • Line-of-business executives and managers evaluating the business value of mobility projects.
  • CxOs who envision mobile technologies as a means of introducing change.
  • IT personnel who want to understand how to evaluate and deliver mobile technology.

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