VodafoneZiggo | Evolution Design

When you think of a call centre you probably picture a line of people seated in row upon row of desks in a featureless back room. But call centres are changing. In many companies, they are now the first point of contact with customers and are increasingly important in growing new business and ensuring customer satisfaction. High tech and fast paced, with multiple contact points from email and messaging systems to video and voice calls, they also require motivated and well-trained staff. As companies recognise their growing importance, the boiler room approach is disappearing and call centres are beginning to morph into a corporate centrepiece.

Ziggo’s call centre is spread over several large open plan areas, which Evolution Design converted into series of smaller work spaces, using low cost solutions such as simple wooden frames, acoustic panelling or a change of flooring to demarcate different zones.

Staff can now choose to work in areas as diverse as a plant covered ‘greenhouse’, open plan spaces with bright yellow accents and colourful floor tiles or in a more urban-style zone that uses reclaimed wooden pallets to divide and decorate.

‘In a call centre, every person does the same job and needs the same equipment so the tendency is to have a battery of desks in a line,’ says architect. ‘We decided to take a different approach and create a series of different environments within the space, so that staff can choose the atmosphere in which they prefer to work.’