Glossary
Hot-desking
Staff sharing desks and logging into whichever desk handset they sit at - each phone becomes their extension for the session.
also known as: Hot desk, Desk hoteling, Flexible desking
Hot-desking is the practice of staff sharing desks (and desk phones) rather than each staff member having a permanently assigned desk and handset. With phone systems, hot-desking specifically means: staff log into any desk handset with their PIN, and that handset becomes their extension for the session.
How it works in 3CX
- Each staff member has a PIN.
- They sit at any available desk.
- They press a “log in” button on the desk handset.
- They enter their PIN.
- The handset reconfigures to their extension - their number, their voicemail, their queues.
- At end of day or when they leave the desk, they log out.
The next person logs in with their own PIN; the handset is now their extension.
When hot-desking makes sense
- Hybrid offices where 50%+ of staff are remote on any given day; only need desks for those who come in.
- Shift-rotation environments - three shifts of agents sharing 30 desks.
- Multi-site teams where staff drop into different offices.
- Seasonal workforce - temp agents during busy periods.
- Cost-conscious offices - fewer desk handsets needed.
When dedicated desk phones still make sense
- Reception (always at the reception desk)
- Contact-centre agents who never move
- Executives with private offices
- Roles where the desk phone is the primary tool
Most offices end up with a mix - some dedicated, some hot-desked.
Technical requirements
- 3CX PRO or AI Edition
- IP handsets that support PIN login (Yealink, Fanvil, Snom, Polycom - most modern models)
- Each staff member assigned a PIN in the 3CX Admin Console
We configure hot-desking as part of every hybrid-office deployment.
See also
- [[byod]] - alternative model where staff use personal devices
- 3CX mobile app - many hot-desk users also use the mobile app
