How to set up Hot Desking with Digital Voice for Business
Hot Desking is a Digital Voice for Business feature available to those with an Enhanced licence only.
It lets employees use any compatible device as their own office phone, providing flexibility and enhancing productivity. It’s great for:
- Remote work - employees working from home or different locations can use their personal devices as their office phone.
- Shared workspaces - in co-working spaces or offices with shared desks, employees can log in to any available device and use it as their own.
- Traveling employees - employees who travel frequently can use hot desking to stay connected without needing a dedicated office phone.
By utilising our Hot Desking feature, you can provide your employees with the flexibility to work from anywhere, reduce costs, and enhance overall productivity.
With Hot Desking, you can associate your Digital Voice account, telephone number, features, and settings with another device. This lets you to make and receive calls, and manage all of your features from another phone, tablet, or any other capable device.
Host Desking settings
There are two roles involved in Hot Desking:
- Hot Desking Host - any employee with an Enhanced Digital Voice for Business licence can take on the role of Hot Desking Host. The Host’s devices are then set up to be used by other employees.
- Hot Desking Guest - any employee with an Enhanced Digital Voice for Business licence can take on the role of Hot Desking Guest. This means they can use the Hot Desking Host’s devices. They just need to simply log in and use the Host’s device as if it were their own.
Note: you can be either a Hot Desking Host or a Hot Desking Guest, but not both at the same time.
This setup is useful in flexible work environments where employees do not have assigned desks and have to work from workstations that are available on the day.
How to switch on Hot Desking Host in the Digital Voice for Business portal
How to switch on Hot Desking Host:
- Log in to the Digital Voice for Business portal.
- From the dashboard, select Users (across the top).
- Search for the user and click the settings icon.
- Select Features on the left.
- In the Hot desking host tile, click the settings icon.
- Tick the box next to Hot desking host to switch it on.
- In the Host details tile, click Manage.
- In the Maximum association time field, set how long you want a guest to be able to link to the Host before being logged off.
- Set who the Hot Desking Host is available to.
- Click Save.
How to switch on Hot Desking Guest in the Digital Voice for Business portal
- Log in to the Digital Voice for Business portal.
- From the dashboard, select Users at the top of the screen.
- Search for the user and click the settings icon.
- Select Features on the left.
- In the Hot Desking Guest tile, click the settings icon.
- Tick the box next to Hot Desking Guest to switch it on.
- Click Connect.
- From the drop down, select the host you wish to connect with.
- In the Guest association timeout field, enter how long you want to connect to the Host before being logged off.
- Click Save.
How to switch on Hot Desking Guest via a phone or Webex
- Call the voice portal number from the Hot Desking Host.
- Enter your voice portal passcode, followed by the hash key (#).
- Select option 7 to choose the Hot Desking options menu – the announcement will refer to it as hotelling.
- Follow the menus and select the appropriate options:
- Option 1 – Check Host Status
The system shows if a Hot Desking Host’s device is linked to a Hot Desking Guest user. If linked, the system will display the Guest user’s name (if available) and their phone number or extension. - Option 2 – Association
- No Current Association: if the Hot Desking Host’s device isn’t linked to a Hot Desking Guest user, a message will be displayed to confirm the new association. The timeout is set to the Host’s configured limit.
- Already Associated Host: if the Host’s device is linked to another Guest user, the request will be denied, and the user will be informed.
- Already Associated Guest: if the Guest user is linked to another Host device, that link will end and a new association will be made. A message will be displayed to confirm the new association.
- Option 3 – Disassociation
If the Disassociation option is chosen, the associated Guest user is disassociated from the Host user’s device. If the Guest user is not the current user associated with the Host, then the request is denied, and the Guest user is advised that they’re not currently associated with this Host user device.