What is Hot Desking on a VoIP Phone System?
We get asked this question a lot so I wanted to feature it in our blog. I’ll go over the actual feature of Hot Desking, and then talk about how to apply it to gain efficiency in your business.
Hot Desking is simply the ability to log into any phone on your system, and have your user profile and settings populated onto that device. An IP phone is pushed information and processing power from the PBX (your phone server). Because of this, you can go to any end point and log in, which essentially tells your phone system to push your specific profile to that phone. With Hot Desking, your extension is whatever phone you’re currently logged into.
Hot Desking can help accommodate your efficient use of office space. “Hoteling” is a concept that is become more popular in corporate America. It allows workers to commute to the most convenient office, and to whichever work station they please, any given day. In a “Hoteling” scenario the employee would setup their laptop and log into the phone at that work station. All of their calls and messages would now be sent to that IP phone.
Other Applications
Hoteling is just one practical application for deploying the Hot Desking feature at your business. How about an employee who has to travel to another part of the office to prepare a presentation? Once they get to the work area, they can log into that phone so they’re fully functional and efficient even while away from their desk.
Law firms often have multiple offices in the same region, to best accommodate their clientele. It’s common for a lawyer to work in the Baltimore office on Monday and Tuesday, have a deposition at the Washington DC office on Wednesday, and then client meetings in the Annapolis office on Thursday and Friday. Hot Desking is the perfect application in this scenario because the attorney can log in on any phone in each office and be fully connected. No more searching and guessing to find out what office they’re working out of today.
Medical offices with multiple locations also see a great benefit in Hot Desking. An optometrist may have five or six offices in a thirty mile radius, and he or she will typically travel and work out of each of them, depending on the week. With Hot Desking, they’re always connected to their voice mail, and easily accessible via their extension number.
If you have any more questions about Hot Desking, please reach out to us. McEnroe Voice & Data implements business phone systems and voice networks for customers in the Mid-Atlantic, including Southern PA, Baltimore, Washington DC, and Northern Virginia.