3CX have re-introduced ‘HotDesking‘ in an integrated, easy-to-use form, with service pack 2 of 3CX version 15.5 (for those systems with 3CX license keys supporting the ‘Pro’ or ‘Enterprise’ versions only however).
What is HotDesking?:
HotDesking allows phones to be ‘pooled’ for use by staff so that one physical phone can have several different extension profiles applied to it. This means that depending who is using the phone at the time; they may be a member of a different call group or queue, have a different outbound Caller ID, be a target for different incoming calls for Direct Dial numbers, and have a different set of internal and external DSS keys to make calls to their primary contacts.
This feature may be applied to as many users and phones as you want, and is perfect for situations where e.g. you have staff in a sales team needing a live phone when they come into the office between customer visits. In short, it allows you to have more extension numbers issued than you have phones!
How does it work?:
Previous versions of 3CX combined the configuration profile of the phone with that of the extension user. HotDesking allows us to designate extension users who have HotDesk permission, and configure phones to be members of a HotDesk pool in two separate configuration modules in 3CX Management. Using a simple dial-pad sequence involving a feature code, the extension number, and a PIN – a HotDesk user prompts the phone to carry out a provisioning download, which will push their pre-configured profile into that phone and make it active. Some phone types do this faster than others, but this ‘provisioning’ usually takes less than 30 seconds.
When the user is finished with the phone, they simply press a ‘Logout’ button which dumps their profile, and sets the phone back to a ‘dumb’ mode awaiting a new sign-on.
This is definitely not a feature for all 3CX installs, but where you need flexibility to accommodate part-time and remote workers who visit your office, it is an ideal way to provide a bespoke phone for that user, rather than trying to provide pool-phones set up for one-size-fits-all!
Give us a call at Foxhall Solutions – 01787 320402 – to talk about how HotDesking could be a benefit to your business …
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