Flexible Seat Assignment

Description

Flexible Seat Assignment – Flexible Seating allows users to use a host phone and have the host phone provisioned with the guest’s device profile settings. It provides similar functionality to the Hoteling service, but allows the device to be provisioned with the guest’s profile settings and has a different licensing model. It also allows the user to continue using their other locations as usual.

One of the differentiators of Flexible Seating is the host phone is provisioned without the need for a user license which allows for cost savings.

Another benefit is the ease of associating/disassociating to the flex seating host phone by use of the soft keys versus the voice or web portal.

Flexible Seating functionality is delivered in two separate services: Flexible Seating Host group service and Flexible Seating Guest user service.

Flexible Seating Guest allows a user to have a device profile associated with their service. The user can then associate this profile with a flexible seating host and use the host’s device with their own device profile. When a flexible seating guest uses the host’s device, the device is reconfigured with the guest’s device profile, so the user can have the same calling experience as if they were using their own phone. Flexible Seating Guest is a licensed user service.

Flexible Seating Host allows group administrators to create Flexible Seating Host service instances and assign devices to them which allows users with the Flexible Seating Guest service to associate their device profile with a host. The host’s phone device is allowed to download the guest’s device profile. Flexible Seating Host is not a licensed service. Hosts can be created when the Flexible Seating Guest service is authorized to the group.

  • When the guest makes or receives a call at the host’s phone, services and policies are applied to the call as if the guest were using their own phone.
  • A phone configured as host is allowed only to make an emergency call and calls to voice portal. Since a host is a virtual user, the user must call the actual voice portal number/extension, rather than its own number/extension, in order to reach the voice portal.
  • When a guest user logs in using the host phone, the host phone downloads the guest user profile and the host phone behaves just like the guest phone as if it is a shared device of the main number. In fact, the inbound call to the guest number rings on both the main user phone and the newly configured guest phone.

How to

User Guide for Association/Disassociation with Flexible Seating:

The above configured guest needs to be associated with the host. This can be achieved in one of three ways.

  1. Using Flexible Seating Host phone (softkey):
    1. When you go to a phone configured as a host, you will see a softkey “GuestIn” or you may need to press softkey “More” in order to see it.
    2. Press softkey “GuestIn”.
    3. To the prompt, put the userID/Extension and the voice portal password.
    4. The host phone now becomes guest phone with the new extension.
    5. In order to disassociate, just click on the “GuestOut” softkey or you may need to press softkey “More” in order to see it.
  2. Using Flexible Seating Host phone (voice portal):
    1. Press on the ‘group’ voice portal/message button or dial the voice portal number or extension. (The host phone extension will not work).
    2. Press “*” key.
    3. Now, login to the voice portal using your userID/Extension and the voice portal password.
    4. Choose “7” for Hoteling/Flex Seating.
    5. Choose “2” to associate with the host.
    6. In order to disassociate, login to the voice portal as guest user. Choose “7”. Then, choose “3”.
  3. Using web portal of the Flexible Seating Guest account.
    1. With the credentials of the guest user account login to the web portal.
    2. Choose “Flexible Seating Guest”.
    3. Choose the “Host Association”.
    4. “Search” for the available host.
    5. Upon identifying the host phone number, highlight the same and click on “Add”. You can also limit the guest host association by the number of hours you can choose on the same screen.
    6. In order to disassociate, simply “Remove” the host added above.

Common Use Case

For businesses that have people who come into the office occasionally and need a desk phone for a temporary period to answer their calls or check their voice messages.