Use desk check-ins to remind employees of upcoming reservations/assignments and provide your team with a more accurate view of desk demand and availability.

 

Setting the advance check-in window 

The desk check-in window works similarly to the event confirmation window for meeting spaces. It is a building-level setting that determines how far in advance someone can check into a desk. Admins can set the check-in window from a minimum of 10 minutes to a maximum of 12 hours.

Flex desk tips: To tie check-ins closer to actual presence set a shorter window. If advance booking (e.g. booking more than a week in advance) is more common, consider setting a longer window.

Assigned desk tips: Assigned desks are for a full-day based on the set office hours (open-close). For example, if the advance check-in window is set to 4 hours and the office opens at 8am you can check in to your assigned desk starting at 4am.

Navigate to Manage > Offices > select a building > scroll down to "Desk policies" >  Advance check-in window.  

• If a user books a desk within that window, they’ll automatically be confirmed.
• If a user books a desk outside that window, they’ll be able to confirm the reservation as soon as the check-in window opens.

Here’s a peek at how the check-in window logic works:

Check-in policies provide stronger data

Not only do reservation check-ins help you understand who is actually showing up for reservations, but they also give you stronger data points in your Robin analytics.

For example, you may learn that the desk check-in rate is significantly lower than the desk usage rate on a particular floor and may consider collecting feedback to see how you can improve that area of the office or cut it.

Enabling desk check-ins

Admins can enable desk check-ins for hot/hotel desks only or for all desk types, which includes assigned desks too. This setting can be enabled for an entire building or for a desk group.

Enable on building-level

Navigate to Manage > Offices > select a building >  scroll down to "Desk policies" section > select hot/hotel only or All desk types (includes assigned seats) setting > Apply to all. 

Note, "apply to all" will overwrite any pre-existing desk policies. 

⭐ The more granular setting takes precedence over higher-level settings. 

Enable for desk group

From the Office search page > navigate to the Edit floor drop-down menu on the map > Layout. Use your cursor to select a group of desks > in the right menu panel click the Policies tab, then select Add Policy.  

To apply the setting to assigned desks too, choose All desk types. 

⭐  The more granular setting takes precedence over higher-level settings. 

 

 

Enabling mobile push notification reminders

Use Robin mobile push notifications to receive a reminder to check in to your desk for the day. 

Android users:

Desk check-in push notifications are enabled by default, no action required. To opt-out, adjust the notifications on your device. 

iOS users:

New users logging into the mobile app for the first time will be prompted to opt-in to push notifications. Current Robin users can opt-in via the Pass tab after reserving a desk. 

 

 

Checking in to a desk

You can check in to a desk any time from the start of the confirmation window to the end of the reservation. 

Assigned desk check-ins are tied to the building work hours and the advance check-in window. For example, if the advance check-in window is set to 4 hours and the office opens at 8am then you can check in to your assigned desk starting at 4am.

If you decide you no longer need your desk, tap Release desk/Not coming in and then:

• For assigned seats, we'll make note that you're "Not coming in," and your desk will be greyed out. (Unavailable) You will not lose your seat assignment. 
  • If your office allows desk sharing, you will not receive the checkpoint on the days you've shared your seat.
• For a hot desk reservation (single day), the reservation is canceled, and the desk becomes available for others to use. 
• For hotel desks (multi-day), we'll release your desk for that day only, and it becomes available for others to use for that day.

 ⏰ You need to check in every day for assigned seats and each day in a multi-day reservation.

 

Checking in via Slack & Teams notification (hot & hotel reservations only)

With the Robin app for Slack & Teams, you can receive timely desk notifications without having to switch between apps. When a reservation is booked ahead of the confirmation window, the reservee will receive a check-in notification at the start of the confirmation window.

You can check-in or release your desk reservation right from Slack or Teams. It will look something like this:

 

Checking in via email

When a reservation is booked ahead of the confirmation window, the reservee/assignee will receive an email reminder at the start of the confirmation window asking if they still need their desk for the day.

You can open the email from any device, then simply tap Check in and you're all set. Or if you no longer need it, tap Release desk/not coming in. Logging into Robin is not required. 

And then you'll see a confirmation message that will look something like this:

Checking in via web

Once a reservation is past the start of its confirmation window, you can check-in directly from the Office search page.  If you decide not to use the office, (skip the checkpoint &) select Not coming in. 

If your office requires the health checkpoint you'll need to complete that first and then the check-in option will appear. 

You can also follow the View upcoming desks link which takes you to your user profile page where you can manage your desk reservations/assignments, like checking in. 

Checking in via mobile 

You'll see the desk check-in prompt on the Pass tab during an active desk reservation/seat assignment that's within the confirmation window. If your office requires you to complete a health survey before heading into the office, you'll need to complete that first, and then you'll see the option to check in.  

If you no longer need the desk reservation, tap Not coming in. 

 

 ⏰ Users need to check in every day for multiple-day reservations.

 

Viewing check-in status

Viewing on roster

Admins can review the checked-in state on the roster for visibility into who's accessing the office on a given day:

Note, the different check-in actions and responses:

• Selecting Check-in → Reservation confirmed; check-in visible in-app, as well as, in exports & the roster. 
• Selecting Cancel releases desk before the reservation starts → reservation canceled & marked on the roster as "Not coming in"
• Selecting End releases desk after reservation starts → reservation ended & marked on the roster as "Not coming in"

Viewing on map

You can see the checked-in state at a glance from the office search map. The examples below are for assigned seats. 

Or click on a desk on the map to view the desk details & the checked-in state:

Viewing check-in data

Admins can review when or whether a user checked in via the Checked In At column found in the Desk data exports.  And a "type" column to distinguish if it was a flexible or an assigned desk reservation. It will look something like this: