What is desk check-in?

How it works

A booking records intent; a check-in confirms use. Manual check-in asks the person to tap a button in the app, on a room display or on a kiosk, or to scan a QR code at the desk. Each booking has a check-in window, and a booking with no check-in in that window can be released automatically.

Automatic check-in removes the step people forget. A desktop agent can detect when a laptop joins the office Wi-Fi or wired network, badge swipes can be passed in from access control, and other systems can check people in through an API. Some platforms also create a booking when someone turns up without one, so walk-ins are counted.

Check-in data is the base of occupancy reporting: who was in, where and for how long. It separates no-shows from real use and gives the numbers behind desk ratios, cleaning schedules and space decisions.

How to measure it

Check-in rate: the share of bookings with a check-in.
No-show rate and auto-release volume by floor, team and day.
Walk-ins recorded without a booking.
Time between booking start and check-in, to set a sensible grace period.

Examples

An employee opens a laptop at their desk; the desktop agent detects the office network and checks them in to their booking.
A visiting colleague without a booking is detected on the network, and an automatic booking records their presence.

Benchmarks

Wavex used automated check-in in place of a sensor deployment and saved £20K+.
Kadence customer story: Wavex

Common mistakes

Relying on manual check-in alone; people forget, and the data undercounts real use.
Setting a grace period so short that people who are a few minutes late lose their desk.
Treating bookings as attendance when check-in is not required.
Not telling employees what check-in data is used for.

How Kadence helps

Kadence takes check-ins from the mobile app, room displays, visitor kiosks, badge data and the public API. The Kadence Agent checks people in automatically when it detects them on the office network, with floor-level, VPN-aware detection, and Automatic Bookings creates a booking when someone arrives without one. Bookings that are not checked in are auto-released.

Workplace occupancy · Desk booking software · Workplace API

Frequently asked questions

Why do I need to check in to my desk?

Check-in confirms you are using the desk you booked. Without it, the system cannot tell a used desk from an empty one, so unused bookings stay blocked and occupancy reports overstate how busy the office is.

What is automatic check-in?

Automatic check-in confirms a booking without the person doing anything, using signals such as a laptop joining the office Wi-Fi, a badge swipe at the door or an occupancy sensor. It gives more complete data than manual check-in, because people often forget to tap in.

What is a check-in API?

A check-in API lets other systems, such as access control, Wi-Fi or sensors, check people in and out of desks, rooms, lockers and parking. It keeps booking and occupancy records current without asking employees to open an app.

What happens if you forget to check in?

Usually the booking is released after the grace period and the desk or room returns to the pool. With automatic check-in from network or badge data, forgetting matters less, because your presence is detected for you.

Do employees have to check in for desk booking to work?

Some form of check-in is needed, but it does not have to be manual. People often forget to tap an app or scan a QR code, so many teams use automatic check-in: arriving on the office network or badging in confirms the booking. Without check-in, unused bookings usually stay blocked and reports count empty desks as used.

Auto-release A booking rule that frees a desk or room automatically when nobody checks in within a set grace period.
No-show rate The share of desk and room bookings nobody checks in to, which makes space look busier than it is.
Ghost booking A desk or room that is booked but never used, so it shows as taken while it sits empty.
Presence data (sensorless occupancy) The record of who was actually in the building and when, from signals you already have: network, badges and check-ins.
Desk booking system Software that lets employees find and reserve a desk before they come in, check in on arrival and free desks nobody uses.

Kadence editorial team · Last reviewed October 6, 2026