Hot desking (shared desk phones)

Hot desking, sometimes called hoteling, lets people who don’t have a fixed desk use whichever phone is free. Someone sits down, dials a code, enters their extension and PIN, and that phone becomes theirs: their calls ring there and outgoing calls show their caller ID. When the next person signs in, the phone switches over to them.

How it works

• Each shared phone belongs to a “desk” user, not a person. For example, Hot Desk 1 at extension 320.
• The people who hot desk are regular users with their own extensions, such as 101 and 102, but no phones of their own.
• When someone signs in, the shared phone is added to their profile, and their calls ring it. Their call statistics follow them too.
• A person can be signed in to only one shared phone at a time. Signing in somewhere else moves them.

Set it up

1. Create a user for each shared phone. Go to Users → Add User, name it after the desk (for example, “Hot Desk 1”), give it an extension in the 300s, and set the role to No Portal. See Add a new user or extension.
2. Add the desk phone to that user. See Add and set up a desk phone.
3. Set up the people. Each person who hot desks needs a user with voicemail and a voicemail PIN. Don’t give them a phone of their own.
4. Leave their default answering rule alone. The person’s Default rule must keep Ring all user’s phones checked, and must be the rule in effect. If another rule sits above Default and is active, calls won’t follow them to the shared phone. See Answering rules.
5. Ask support to finish the phone settings. Shared phones need one setting turned off so features like do not disturb don’t get mixed up between people. Contact Dial Raven support with the phone’s extension.

Heads up: Hot desking can’t be combined with call center queues. If someone answers queue calls, give them their own phone.

Sign in to a shared phone

1. On the shared phone, dial *44.
2. Enter your extension, such as 101.
3. Enter your voicemail PIN, then press #.
4. You’ll hear who’s signed in now. Press 2 to take over the phone.
5. You’ll hear a confirmation with your name. Your calls now ring this phone.

Sign out

1. On the shared phone, dial *46.
2. Enter your voicemail PIN, then press #.

You don’t strictly have to sign out: the next person who signs in takes the phone over automatically. But until someone does, your calls keep ringing that phone, so sign out at the end of your shift.

Common questions

I forgot to sign out. Where are my calls going?

To the shared phone you last used. Sign in anywhere else, or ask a coworker to sign in to that phone, and your calls move.

Why does the shared phone show “Domain User” as its caller ID?

After someone signs out, the shared phone shows a generic name until the next person signs in. That’s normal.

I have my own phone and I sign in to a shared one. Where did my own phone go?

A person can own only one phone at a time, so signing in to a shared phone takes yours off your profile temporarily. Sign in on your own phone with *44 to get it back. This is why people who hot desk shouldn’t have their own phones.

Does hot desking cost extra?

Usually not, as long as the people who hot desk don’t also have their own phones. Ask support if you’re unsure.

Related articles

• Star codes: handy dial shortcuts
• Add and set up a desk phone
• Answering rules: forwarding, simultaneous ring and do not disturb
• Set up voicemail