Call Centre and Control Room Furniture: A Guide for 24/7 Operations

Call Centre and Control Room Furniture: A Guide for 24/7 Operations

Call centres and customer service operations are among the most intense, high-density workplaces. Employees spend continuous hours on calls in front of a screen, often in shifts, in a space shared with dozens or hundreds of colleagues talking at the same time. As telecoms, banking, retail and digital government services expand in Saudi Arabia, demand for modern contact centres has grown. That is why call centre furniture needs different solutions from a conventional office, combining high density with comfort, acoustics and durability. In this guide we explain how to equip a call centre or control room that works efficiently around the clock.

What makes call centres different?

• High density: many workstations in limited space.
• Constant noise: dozens of calls at once.
• Long sitting: continuous hours at the screen with little movement.
• Shift work: the same desk may be used by several people each day.
• Intensive use: furniture runs far more hours than standard office furniture.
• Close supervision: supervisors need to see and reach their teams quickly.

Call centre workstations

A call centre workstation is usually smaller than a standard office desk because the work relies on the screen and headset rather than paper. But shrinking it too far creates crowding and fatigue. The right workstation fits one or two screens, keyboard and mouse and a small writing area, with organised cable management for multiple devices.

See workstation types and sizes on our office workstations page.

Acoustic screens: the most important element

In a call centre, screens are not only for visual privacy; they reduce sound travelling between neighbours. A colleague’s voice reaching the customer’s ear lowers service quality and makes agents raise their voices, so noise escalates across the floor. We recommend screens covered in sound-absorbing fabric or felt, slightly higher than head height when seated, with side screens between adjacent desks. See office partitions.

24/7 operator chairs

A call centre chair can work two or three times the hours of a standard office chair, especially with round-the-clock shifts. It needs a reinforced frame and base, a heavy-duty gas lift, wear-resistant upholstery and easy adjustment because the user changes every shift. Ideally these chairs are tested for continuous use and carry a warranty that reflects it. See office chairs for companies.

Supervisor and team leader positions

Supervisors need to see their team, communicate quickly and respond to help requests on difficult calls. They are usually placed slightly raised or at the end of their team’s rows, at a larger desk with several screens for performance dashboards. Large wall displays showing call status and waiting times help the whole team. Supervisors should not be remote or walled off, which slows support, but they do need a small nearby room for one-to-one conversations and quick call coaching.

Acoustic treatment of the whole space

Screens alone are not enough in large centres. Sound bounces off hard ceilings, walls and floors and builds into tiring background noise. Treat acoustics at the room level: absorbent ceilings or suspended baffles over desk areas, carpet or absorbent flooring instead of hard shiny floors, acoustic wall panels especially on facing walls, separating teams by type of work, and keeping printers and pantries away from call areas. Read open office acoustics.

Cable and technology management

Every call centre desk has a computer, one or two screens, a phone or headset and a charger, and across hundreds of desks cable organisation becomes essential for safety and fast maintenance. We design workstations with horizontal cable trays under the top, vertical routes inside legs or dedicated spines, and CPU holders off the floor, with easy access for IT without dismantling the desk. Coordinate early with IT and the electrical contractor on floor or ceiling power and data points, because changing them after installation is costly and disrupts operations.

Breakout areas are not a luxury

Call centre work is high-pressure and difficult calls are frequent, so breakout areas are a core part of the design, not an optional extra. Agents who get a real break in a comfortable space away from call noise come back with better focus and more patience with customers. Breakout should be close to but acoustically separated from the call floor, with comfortable seating, warm lighting and a small pantry, and in 24/7 centres it must serve night shifts too.

Control and monitoring rooms

Control rooms share round-the-clock operation with call centres but differ in their tasks. Found in energy, utilities, transport, security and telecoms, they have operators monitoring critical systems on multiple screens and making fast, accurate decisions. Their furniture needs:

• Specialist control consoles with deep tops and arms for multiple screens at different levels.
• Clear sightlines to the main video wall from every position.
• 24/7 chairs tested for continuous use.
• Equipment heat management through ventilation inside consoles.
• Maintenance access without stopping operations.
• Controllable lighting that reduces screen glare and eye strain on night shifts.

Demand for these rooms is particularly high in the Eastern Province, home to energy and industrial companies. See office furniture in Dammam and the Eastern Province.

Comfort in shift work

Shift work adds a challenge: one desk is used by several people of different heights and weights each day. Chair and screen adjustments must be quick and obvious, and desks should allow screen height and distance to be changed without tools. Some centres use height-adjustable desks so agents can stand during some calls, easing the effect of long sitting. Personal headsets for hygiene and comfort, and personal lockers instead of leaving belongings on shared desks, also help. See the office ergonomics guide.

Lighting

Long hours at screens make lighting critical for eye strain. Avoid strong direct light that reflects on screens, use even glare-free lighting that can be dimmed in control rooms, keep desks from facing windows directly and use blinds to control daylight. Warmer lighting in breakout areas helps reduce fatigue on night shifts.

Space planning

With smaller desks and higher density, area per employee is lower than in standard offices, but not at the expense of walkways, breakout, training rooms and short-meeting rooms. Call centres usually need a training room for new hires, small supervisor rooms and larger-than-usual breakout areas. To calculate space accurately read how much office space per employee.

Materials for furniture that runs 24/7

Training new agents on site

Staff turnover in call centres is higher than in many departments, so training runs all year. Centres need a training room with desks similar to the live floor so new agents learn in the same environment, plus shadowing positions near the teams where trainees sit beside experienced agents and listen to real calls. These positions need slightly wider tops and a second headset connection. See training room furniture.

Identity and wellbeing

Call centres are often designed as purely functional spaces with dull colours and repetitive rows, which adds to monotony and pressure. Simple details make a big difference: calm brand-inspired colours on screens and walls, plants where suitable, dividing a large floor into team zones with names or colours, and a wall recognising achievements. These strengthen belonging and reduce burnout, which shows in how customers are treated.

Hybrid contact centres

Some companies now run hybrid models, with part of the team at home and part on site, or teams alternating days. Fixed desks can then be reduced in favour of bookable shared desks with lockers and more short-meeting and training rooms. But desk numbers must be based on real peak attendance data, because a shortage of desks in a call centre directly means longer queues and weaker service. Read hybrid office design.

Hygiene at shared desks

When several people use the same desk each day, cleanliness matters for comfort and health. Choose surfaces that tolerate disinfectants, upholstery that can be cleaned or replaced, and designs without dust-trapping gaps. Provide sanitising points, personal headsets and a cleaning routine between shifts to reduce illness and absence, especially in respiratory illness seasons.

Quiet rooms for sensitive calls

Some calls need more privacy than usual: complex complaints, sensitive financial or health data, or escalations handled by supervisors. Provide a few acoustically isolated booths or small rooms inside or next to the centre for these cases, also usable for one-to-ones and call quality reviews away from the main floor.

Balancing density and comfort

Fitting more desks into the same space makes financial sense, but every extra desk narrows walkways, raises noise and reduces comfort. The ideal point delivers the capacity needed at peak while keeping comfortable spacing, safe walkways and enough breakout. Centres that go past this point usually pay later in service quality, turnover and repeated hiring and training costs. We always propose several layout scenarios and compare them clearly before fixing the final number.

Safety in high-density centres

The more people in a space, the more safety matters. Escape routes must be clear, walkway widths must comply with the Saudi Building Code and Civil Defense requirements, and emergency exits must be reachable quickly by everyone. Keep cables away from walkways to prevent trips, choose materials meeting applicable fire requirements, fix tall screens securely and distribute electrical loads correctly across circuits. Review the layout with a safety consultant before manufacturing, because moving rows after installation is much harder.

Steps to set up a new call centre

1. Capacity: agents per shift and desks needed at peak.
2. Teams: inbound, outbound, technical support, quality and supervisors.
3. Planning: teams, supervisors, walkways, breakout and training.
4. Technical coordination: power, data and display locations with IT.
5. Workstations, screens and chairs: specified for continuous use.
6. Acoustics and lighting: for the whole space, not only the desks.
7. Pilot: a cluster of trial desks tested with agents.
8. Manufacture and install: in phases if the centre stays live.

Planning for growth

Contact centres often grow quickly as customer bases expand or new services launch. Choose a modular workstation system from the start so units can be added to the same specification, leave power and data routes extendable, and plan space so part of the training or meeting areas can become workstations when needed. This avoids redesign costs and allows expansion without disrupting daily operations.

Measuring success after go-live

The impact of call centre design can be measured with practical indicators: noise levels at peak times, customer feedback on call clarity, staff comfort complaints, absence rates and team satisfaction. Reviewing these a few months after go-live shows what needs adjusting, such as extra acoustic panels in one zone or a different chair model, before small problems become reasons for agents to leave.

Night shifts and 24/7 operations

Centres and control rooms that run through the night need extra thought. Lighting should be adjustable so night teams are not working under harsh office lighting; breakout areas should offer a quieter, darker corner for short rests where policy allows; and the pantry should be usable when catering is closed. Security and safe access to parking and entrances matter more at night, and the layout should avoid isolated workstations far from colleagues. Small details such as warmer lighting, comfortable seating and good ventilation make long night shifts noticeably easier and help reduce fatigue-related errors.

Choosing the right supplier

A call centre project is not a simple furniture order. Look for a supplier that can plan density and acoustics, manufacture workstations to your exact dimensions, provide a pilot cluster for testing, coordinate with IT and electrical contractors, install in phases while the centre is live, and support you with spare parts after handover. Ask for references from similar high-density projects, check the warranty terms for chairs and workstations used around the clock, and make sure quotes separate furniture, acoustic elements, installation and delivery so you can compare them fairly. A supplier that understands how agents actually work will ask about shift patterns, call types and supervision before proposing a layout, rather than simply quoting a number of desks.

Common mistakes

1. Shrinking desks too far to add numbers at the expense of comfort.
2. Low or hard screens that do not absorb sound.
3. Standard office chairs that cannot handle shift work.
4. Ignoring ceilings and floors in acoustic treatment.
5. Small breakout areas or ones too close to call noise.
6. No coordination with IT before manufacturing workstations.

How Elite Premier helps

We plan call centres and control rooms from layout to installation: placing teams and supervisors, designing workstations, acoustic screens and cable management, manufacturing them in our Jeddah factory, supplying 24/7 chairs and coordinating with IT. We serve companies and entities in Jeddah, Riyadh, Makkah, Dammam and other cities. Contact us for an initial design.

Frequently asked questions

How high should call centre screens be?

Ideally slightly above head height when seated, in a sound-absorbing material.

Are standard office chairs suitable for shifts?

No. Choose chairs tested for continuous use with reinforced frames and heavy-duty upholstery.

Do you design control rooms?

Yes. We design and manufacture control consoles and coordinate with display and IT systems.

Can installation happen while the centre is live?

Yes, with a phased plan that moves teams between zones without stopping service.