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Hot Desking was introduced in Switchvox version 7.8. With this feature, users are able to easily Log In and Log Out of designated Hot Desking-enabled phones. This configuration is useful in any shared workspace environment - whether as part of a contact center operation, or any other flexible/shift-based scheduling scenario. This article illustrates the phone user’s experience, provides information on how to set up Hot Desking, and answers commonly asked questions regarding its use.
The following phone models are capable of LogOut/In when enabled for Hot Desking: D60, D62, D65, P310, P315, P320, P325, and P330.
Phone User Experience
A Hot Desking-enabled phone with the LOGOUT button is pictured below. A phone user simply presses this button, confirms that they wish to log out, and the phone will immediately do so.
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Switchvox version 7.8 or later is required.
An active Switchvox subscription is required for initial setup and continued use of Hot Desking.
1. Setup your Emergency Calling Rules
Phones configured for Hot Desking in Switchvox are able to dial emergency numbers when in a Logged Out state. To accomplish this, the phone uses the Emergency Calling Rules and Caller ID Number from the Phone Location to which it is assigned. Phone Locations are discussed below; however, before creating a Phone Location, you must first create the Emergency Calling Rules.
An Emergency Calling Rule is an Outgoing Call Rule that has been flagged as such. Your system might have only one Emergency Calling Rule (such as 911 routed out the sole SIP trunk), or it might have numerous. Before proceeding to create your Phone Locations, review the Outgoing Call Rules and ensure that the appropriate rules are set to function as Emergency Calling Rules. For more information, please refer to Setup Outgoing Call Routing.
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2. Create your Phone Locations
To enable a phone for Hot Desking, it must be assigned to a Phone Location. This assignment provides the phone with the Emergency Calling Rules and Caller ID Number it will use when placing emergency calls. The Location’s rules and caller ID for emergency calls is used in all scenarios for a phone assigned to a Location, including when a Hot Desking phone is Logged Out.
Once you have confirmed the configuration of Emergency Calling Rules, complete the setup of Phone Locations which will be used by Hot Desking phones. Follow the instructions in the article, Switchvox Phone Locations.
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3. Assign phones to Locations and Enable Hot Desking
Once your Phone Location has been created, you may assign phones to it, including those which will be used for Hot Desking. Phones can be assigned to a Location and enabled for Hot Desking in two different ways: with the Quick-Create Desk Phone Assignments tool, or in the Hot Desking section.
If you are deploying new phones for use in Switchvox, the Quick-Create Desk Phone Assignments tool is the preferred method. With this tool, you are able to assign the Location and enable Hot Desking immediately upon the phone’s first configuration with Switchvox. For more information, please refer to the article, Sangoma Phone Assignments. An example of of this interface is shown here:
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These steps can be repeated for each of the phones which need to be deployed for Hot Desking. Phones can also have Hot Desking disabled using similar steps, and a phone’s assigned Location may be modified here. However, a Phone Location assignment cannot be removed while a phone is configured for Hot Desking.
When changing the Phone Location or Hot Desking assignment to a registered phone, an update will be sent to the phone for automatic reconfiguration once the phone is in an idle state.
Your Hot Desking phones are now ready, and the users which are permitted to Log In to them must now be configured.
4. Configure users who will use Hot Desking phones
A user must have a Sangoma Hot Desking phone assignment in order to Log In to a Hot Desking phone. This assignment is set in the Manage Phones tool. For more information, please refer to the article Setup Extensions - Manage Phones.
Hot Desking in Switchvox has been designed to allow maximum flexibility in its user implementation. Given the deployment of Hot Desking-enabled phones described above, a user can be configured to:
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For more information on setting up phone assignments and using the Manage Phones tool, please refer to the article Setup Extensions - Manage Phones.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Which phones are able to Log In for Hot Desking with Switchvox?
The following phone models are capable of Log Out/In when enabled for Hot Desking: D60, D62, D65, P310, P315, P320, P325, and P330.
What happens if a phone that is not Log In capable, such as a D80, is enabled for Hot Desking? And why is that possible?
For easy centralized phone management, all phones which can be assigned to a Phone Location are listed in the Hot Desking section. Also, a phone’s model is not known until it first registers with Switchvox. For these reasons, it is possible to enable some models of phones for Hot Desking which are not able to Log In or Log Out.
If one such phone (e.g. the D80) is configured for Hot Desking, then it will register as a Logged Out phone and be unable to Log In. It will inherit the Emergency Calling Rules and the Emergency Caller ID Number from its assigned Phone Location, and will be able to place emergency calls, but will not be able to Log In or place calls to any other numbers. The phone has limited use in this configuration, and should be reassigned, unless it is intended to only serve as a phone to place calls to emergency services.
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What happens to Hot Desking if the Switchvox subscription expires?
If the Switchvox subscription expires, then new phone assignments cannot be set up for Hot Desking. Phones configured for Hot Desking will remain so; however, users will no longer be able to Log In to Hot Desking phones. Logged Out phones will continue to be able to dial the Emergency Numbers for their assigned Location. Users with an existing Hot Desking phone type assignment are not modified; however new assignments of this type cannot be added. If a user is already logged into a Hot Desking phone, then they will remain so, until that phone is logged out or otherwise reconfigured.
When the Switchvox subscription is renewed, Hot Desking functionality will return. The configuration will be remembered and users will once again be able to Log In to Hot Desking phones. For information on renewing your Switchvox subscription, please refer to How to renew Switchvox subscriptions or support.
Can a user from a Peered Switchvox login to a Hot Desking phone?
No. Hot Desking does not work across peers. A user logging into the phone must be from the system that the phone is registered to.
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