Use desk check-ins to remind employees of upcoming reservations/assignments and to require them to confirm their in-office plans explicitly. This gives your team a more accurate view of desk demand, availability, and who uses their reservations. Follow this guide to learn how to set up desk check-ins and the different ways users can check into desks. 

Step 1: Set 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.

Step 2. Turn on 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 for the entire office building

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. ⚠️

Enable for desk specific desk groups

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, choose All desk types. 

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

Step 3. Set up local check-in methods (optional)

There are various ways employees can confirm their desks, and local check-ins are one of them. Local check-ins are done at the office vs. online methods can be done from anywhere. Robin supports two types of local check-in methods with our mobile app:

• QR codes/NFC tags on desks- scannable stickers on desks

• Automated check-ins - automatically by just walking into the office

Step 4: Set up check-in requirements (optional)

Local check-ins only policy

You can make Local desk check-in methods optional for convenience or mandatory. If you want to make local check-ins mandatory for employees, enable the Local desk check-ins-only setting and set up one of the on-site check-in methods mentioned above. 

Abandoned desk protection

This feature automatically cancels "no show" (flex) desk bookings when employees don't confirm their desk within a certain window allowing someone else to use the desk instead. Learn how to set it up here.