It is 8:55 on the first Monday after a long weekend, and the queue is climbing before the nine o'clock shift has logged in. One agent is leaning past the end of her desk screen to hear a customer over the team behind her. The chair beside her was wound right down by the night shift, and its gas lift has been sinking for weeks. None of that shows in a call report, but all of it comes back to call centre furniture: the desk, the screen, the chair and the cables underneath.
This guide works through each part of the seat, from workstations with screens to multi-shift chairs, power and storage.
What each seat needs: a call centre furniture checklist
A call centre seat works harder than an ordinary desk. It is occupied all shift, often by a different person on the next one, and whoever sits there is talking most of the time.
| Part of the seat | What to look for | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Desk top | 1500mm by 750mm for dual monitors; 1200mm wide for one screen | Two 24-inch monitors take about 1,100mm of width |
| Screens | 400mm to 600mm above the desk, with side returns | Breaks sightlines and softens nearby voices |
| Chair | A weight rating and seated hours that match the roster | Three shifts a day is three chairs' work |
| Adjustment | Seat height, seat depth and back height | Hot-seat agents reset the chair every shift |
| Power and cables | Outlets at the desk and a basket under the top | Keeps leads off the floor |
| Storage | Lockers for hot-seat teams; pedestals at fixed seats | Bags and headsets stay off the desk |
| Quiet space | A pod or small room off the floor | Somewhere to reset after a hard call |
Workstations with screens: open bench or cubicle?
The first decision is how much separation each agent gets. More screen means more privacy, but also more floor space and more cost per seat.
The Eternity 6 Person Double Sided Workstation with Screens - Oak (from $2,181) is the open-bench answer. Six agents sit three a side, each at a 1200mm, 1500mm or 1800mm by 750mm top with a scalloped edge for cable access. Pinnable fabric screens 500mm high and 30mm thick divide the rows, and it carries a 5 year Australian warranty.
The limit is sideways: the screens run down the centre line, so they separate people facing each other, not neighbours.
The SHUSH30 Cubicle Workstation - 2 Person - White (from $2,211) goes the other way. Each agent gets a 750mm deep top inside an 1800mm deep cubicle, enclosed by 30mm screens with a pinnable fabric surface for call scripts. Choose 1200mm screens where the team needs to talk, or 1500mm for privacy.
It seats two from about the price the Eternity asks for six, so save cubicles for complaints, collections and teams taking card details.
If the desks are already in place, add screens. The SANA Serenity Surround Above Desk (from $252) suits desks 1200mm, 1500mm or 1800mm wide, adds 300mm sides and stands 400mm or 600mm above the desk. It is made to order and its clamps are sold separately. The desk screens collection has slide-on and clamp-on alternatives.
Sit-stand workstations for long shifts
Eight hours on a headset is eight hours in one posture unless the desk moves.
The Dynamo Plus Double Sided Workstation With Screen (Marble Grey) (from $1,668) seats two, one each side. Its double motor frame adjusts from 620mm to 1270mm and carries up to 140kg. A 900mm high, 30mm thick Marble Grey screen divides the two desks.
The controller stores four heights, which suits seats shared across shifts, and the 10-Year warranty covers frame and electronics.
The trade-off is cost: two sit-stand seats start at about three quarters of the price of six fixed ones. Start with a few pods that agents rotate through, placed at the edge of the floor, where a standing agent is not talking over seated neighbours.
Chairs rated for the roster, not just the person
Ask two questions of every chair: what weight is it rated to, and how many hours a day is it built for? On a 24/7 floor three people might share one chair.
The Buro Metro II 24/7 (from $488) is designed for multi-shift operations. It carries an AFRDI 142 rated load of 160kg for multi-shift use, and AFRDI has static load tested the seat to 600kg. Seat height, depth and tilt, back tilt and back height all adjust.
Read the guarantee before you roster it: the page lists 10 years, 2 years for 16+ hours of use, and a lifetime guarantee on the gas lift.
For a single-shift floor, the Buro Mondo Java MB (from $237) starts at about half the price. It is rated to 120kg for an indicative 8+ seated hours a day, with a 6 year guarantee and tool free assembly. Its seat goes lower, 440mm against the Metro II's 485mm, which helps shorter agents at fixed-height desks. Its page lists no multi-shift rating, so keep it to day rosters.
Our guide to weight ratings and 24/7 seating explains these figures, and the heavy duty office chairs range has more multi-shift options.
Power, cables and storage for hot-seat teams
Count the leads at one seat: a computer or dock, two monitors and a headset base. On a bench of six they all head for the same gap.
The Prodigy Cable Management Basket (from $41) supports cables beneath the worktop in four widths from 750mm to 1550mm. It is compatible with fixed-height and height-adjustable desks, suits multi-user clusters and carries a 10-Year Warranty. On the sit-stand side, the Dynamo Plus has a cable tray option with GPOs on the face of the tray. Agree with your electrician where power and data reach each run before the furniture arrives.
Hot-seating changes storage too. If nobody owns a desk, nobody owns a drawer, so swap pedestals for a locker each, near the entrance to the floor. The office lockers range covers steel and plastic lockers, plus combination and digital locks.
Contact centres in Australia: rosters, noise and quiet rooms
An Australian centre often serves the east coast and Perth from one floor, with Perth two to three hours behind. Seats that are warm for 16 hours need the multi-shift chair.
Official guidance points the same way. Safe Work Australia's guidance on sitting and standing says workers should not stay in a seated, standing or static posture for long periods. Comcare's guidance for contact centre workers says to allow time at the start of each shift for adjusting the workstation where staff change desks, and to consider sit-stand desks. WorkSafe WA's call centre noise guidance lists reducing background noise among the ways to lower the risk of acoustic incidents through headsets.
Plan a small room or acoustic pod off the main floor, so an agent can reset after an abusive call and a team leader can coach in private.
Deliveries go to the ground-floor entrance and goods arrive flat-packed unless the product page says assembled, so plan how the cartons reach your floor.
Call centre furniture — frequently asked questions
What size desk does a call centre agent need?
A 1500mm by 750mm desk suits most agents with two monitors. A 1200mm top works for a single screen or a laptop.
How high should call centre desk screens be?
Choose screens 400mm to 600mm above the desk for seated privacy on an open bench. For cubicles, 1200mm screens keep a team talking and 1500mm screens give privacy.
What is a 24/7 or multi-shift office chair?
A multi-shift chair is rated for use across back-to-back shifts, not a single working day. The Buro Metro II 24/7, for example, carries a 160kg AFRDI 142 multi-shift rating.
How do you reduce noise in a call centre?
Combine desk screens with carpet, acoustic ceiling tiles and a separate quiet room, because sound still passes over the top of a screen.
Shop the range
Browse workstations with screens and heavy duty office chairs, or go straight to the products in this guide.
- Eternity 6 Person Double Sided Workstation with Screens - Oak (from $2,181): open-bench teams of six wanting pinnable centre screens
- SHUSH30 Cubicle Workstation - 2 Person - White (from $2,211): private cubicles with 1200mm or 1500mm pinnable fabric screens
- SANA Serenity Surround Above Desk (from $252): adding rear and side privacy to desks you already own
- Dynamo Plus Double Sided Workstation With Screen (Marble Grey) (from $1,668): sit-stand pairs with four memory heights and a centre screen
- Buro Metro II 24/7 (from $488): shared seats on multi-shift rosters, rated 160kg under AFRDI 142
- Buro Mondo Java MB (from $237): single-shift floors on a budget, rated to 120kg
- Prodigy Cable Management Basket (from $41): tidying leads under both fixed and height-adjustable desks
Metro delivery is a flat $75 per order, and prices include GST.
