Uncovering the potential benefits of mobile technology in business relationship context: a case study

While the business world has felt the impact of wireless mobile technology in many areas, valuation of mobile systems investments have remained largely uncovered. The initial hype for mobile technology has by now simmered down and business investors too, are demanding more concrete evidence before they are willing to put their money into mobile applications or services. The ability to assign value of mobile technology to business outputs is far more difficult than a simple cost/benefit analysis. Unlike the system development costs, there are no standard anticipated benefits, as these greatly depend on the business context. In this paper, we present the findings of a case study of the development of mobile applications in a paper producing company for supporting the complaint-handling process. The paper industry is highly influenced by the development of ICT, globalisation and fierce competition, and the success of the companies operating within this industry is likely to depend on their ability to utilise ICT in taking the best possible care of their business customers. A method for identifying the potential benefits of a mobile system is proposed, explained and examined in the context of the case study. Finally, the case study illustrates and highlights the potential benefits of the mobile system, which provides operational efficiency, functional effectiveness and aims to strengthen business customer relationships.