On June 29, 2007, Apple released the first iPhone to the public. People gawked over the innovative touchscreen interface and quickly became mesmerized by the ever-growing number of apps that work to ease everyday tasks… or sometimes help procrastinate from them.

The iPhone put the App in Apple and completely revolutionized the company. In the last year alone, the iPhone has grown to account for 58% of the company’s total revenue according to Mashable.

The iPhone, along with other smartphones such as Android and Blackberry, have set new standards for what consumers expect from their mobile devices. The average consumer’s familiarity with technology, specifically mobile technology, has increased with 65% of all adult Americans owning a smartphone. This increase in savvy consumers has made professionals much more expectant on companies to utilize this technology, giving workers tools to do their jobs better, in more places and at any time.

For CRE, the increasing presence and abilities of smartphones and the increased focus on job mobility that ensues have transformed the workspace into an action rather than a place over the past the five years.

In a recent webinar, Building Operations in Your Pocket, Matt Brogie, Owner of Mobility CIO talked about how mobility eases some of the pressures on building operations professionals. He explains how mobility fits with some of the changing expectations: “In property management, building managers are expected to be out there with the tenants, not tied to their desk.” Mobility put the power of information at the property manager’s fingertips while onsite and on-the-go, allowing him/her to answer questions and solve problems in real time.

In addition to aiding property managers in completing tasks more efficiently, mobility has also become a large asset for maintenance workers, engineers and building inspectors.

Mobility allows constant and distant communications for maintenance workers moving from site to site. Tim Curran, CEO of Vela Systems, also cites speed as one of the major benefits of mobility in the webinar. From increased speed in communications, work assignment, documented work, and so on, mobility allows service requests to be submitted, completed and recorded all in real time. For maintenance workers, having access to mobile apps means ready access to information they might need or require to complete a service request in the palm of their hands.

People want to be able to complete tasks in real time, quickly and easily. It’s hard to remember that five years ago, this was hardly a reality. In CRE, more firms are starting to recognize this market need for mobility. Building Engines recognizes this need with its own mobile platform.