The business case for mobile collaboration

Once you've outlined a handful of potential case studies, look closely at how these folks are working. Pay special attention to how they handle record-keeping, data entry and data gathering. If it involves a trip back to headquarters, rather than happening on the spot, that process can probably be improved with mobility. For example, sales agents whose job involves products in retail stores benefit from being able to order replacement products on the spot -- and being able to do so may keep competitors' products from gaining shelf space. Thus, mobile-enabling sales agents results in a net increase in the revenue they drive.

Similarly, adding instant messaging to help desks can increase the number of customers that a single help-desk agent can process -- and the satisfaction level of the customers. Increased satisfaction levels has a direct correlation with repeat business.

Don't try to boil the ocean. Once you've identified a few likely candidates, pick a single business process, and work closely with the owner of that process to craft a program that demonstrates a clear ROI. Once you've proven it in one case, you can expand the project across the company.

And don't hesitate to ask vendors and suppliers for help. Cisco and AT&T have programs for key clients in which they'll provide consulting resources to craft business cases, at no charge. Smaller organizations may need to seek paid support from consultants, but it's money well spent if you can justify a broader rollout.