"Field technicians are always in our houses," O'Hara says. "They're good at installing services, but what they don't always do a good job of is upsell. Can the field technician take in the tablet to not only complete the order, but also show them different options on the tablet? Your field technicians aren't necessarily the best salespeople for your company, but they do have that direct customer interaction. We're seeing a number of scenarios where companies can turn field technicians into an enabler of sales rather than turning them into a salesperson."

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"To take advantage of the value mobility brings to employees and customers, companies are redesigning the building blocks of their business," Slattery adds. "Avanade's research reveals these leaders are modifying business processes like sales and marketing, and roles inside companies, such as HR staff, to make better use of mobile devices and other consumer technologies. Our work with customers and research studies show early signs that these changes are making an impact on revenues, profits and customer service."

And it's not just about bring-your-own-device (BYOD). O'Hara notes that Windows 8 is likely to drive a new wave of investment in corporate-owned devices as CIOs seek to standardize on a secure platform that can be managed with the same tools used to manage corporate-owned PCs.