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Regular readers of the Call Center Furniture channel are certainly well-aware of the health benefits of ergonomically-designed office furniture.  Reducing the occurrence of musculoskeletal and cardiovascular diseases caused by prolonged sitting and improper posture can significantly cut down the odds of extended leave and healthcare costs, not to mention pain and suffering.  Better health and better comfort means happier agents, and happy agents mean increased productivity. But the story doesn’t end there.

Simply put, it’s not just what furniture you buy that matters, but how you arrange that furniture as well.

According to an Interior Concepts blog post, if your call center furniture is arranged the right way, agents are more apt to be more productive and efficient.

“Devising a suitable setting can have an effect on factors such as overall sales, successful recruiting, and workforce efficiency. Installing the right furniture for your office could result in a dramatic increase in employee productivity,” the company writes, adding, “Because an office may have limited space, it is important to maximize the area that you have available. The furniture you select can affect how efficiently your business is run. You can utilize desks, conference tables, and cubicles to make the best use of the space you have. A variety of helpful office design ideas may be implemented, such as creating a compact media center.”

This lesson was certainly not lost on VoiceNation, a provider of live answering services, which recently announced the opening of a new call center in Buford, Georgia, bringing with it 100 new call center jobs.  In a concerted effort to build an enthusiastic company culture and to ensure high-levels of customer support, the company paid particular attention to the design and arrangement of the center’s furniture. 

Its call center cubicles are arranged “pod-style” in a 1 to 5 manager-agent ratio to engender collaboration and camaraderie amongst agents and managers, creating a highly-engaging and team-oriented working environment.  The company explained that this strategy gives its staff confidence and increases the quality of customer service offered. Moreover, in and around these cubicles are comfortable, staff-elected chairs, expanded desktop work areas, glass "writable" panels, vivid wall colors and other modern furniture, promoting both creativity and engagement.

VoiceNation President Jay Reeder acknowledged the utility of such employee-empowering design, noting that “In order to provide the most positive work environment for our employees, it is important to go above and beyond in meeting their needs. When our employees feel appreciated, that emotion is translated to our customers, making VoiceNation a preferred call center partner for thousands of businesses nationwide.”

So, take a lesson from VoiceNation and make sure to think about how best to arrange your call center furniture, if you want to truly get the most out of your agents.