All Day, Every Day: Intensive Use Chairs for a Call Center

A few days ago I discussed an ergonomic workstation setup for a call center. With a great setup including a height adjustable desk, LCD monitor arm and keyboard tray, I would be remiss not to recommend some ergonomic chairs to go with it as well.

Work in a call center often happens on multiple shifts. Frequently, users of different sizes will be sitting at the same workstation and a chair will be in use around the clock. Most of the chairs we offer have comprehensive warranties, but they normally cover users up to 250 or 275 lbs in weight, for eight hours of use, five days a week. They may work in your environment, but should there be a problem, the warranty may be voided by the heavy-duty a call center demands. That is where the following chairs stand out.

Call center chairs are constructed tough, with durable materials and more reinforcement than the average office chair. They can often support users of larger body size than a normal ergonomic office chair, and all are warrantied for use up to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The first such chair I will discuss is the 24Centric.

The ErgoCentric 24Centric offers a great mid-priced option that will suit many different users. For its price point, it has some options normally available only on higher end chairs. Chief among these is optional air lumbar support, which allows users to customize the depth of their lumbar support as well as its height. ErgoCentric’s optional headrest is also fairly unique in that it can adjust in two dimensions, height and depth. The model we have on our website is warrantied for users up to 280 lbs, but there is a 400 lb model too. Give us a call if you need the larger version.

My second chair is one of the office chairs we recommend to many people: the Steelcase Amia. In addition to being one of the more attractively designed chairs we sell, the Amia has great ergonomics as well. Its four-way adjustable arms are some of the best we sell on any chair. It also carries a 24/7 warranty and a weight rating up to 300 lbs. A favorite for general office use, the Amia makes a good call center choice as well.

Finally, I am offering an all-mesh option, the Knoll Chadwick. The Chadwick shares the same designer as the famous Herman Miller Aeron. It can include options for full ergonomic adjustment like an adjustable lumbar support and synchro-tilt mechanism. The language of their warranty does not include a weight rating, but I would assume users should be under 220 lbs or so for comfort. I give the same caution about the Chadwick that I would about any all-mesh office chair: Users who are seated at their desks a majority for periods in excess of a couple hours at a time may find that an all-mesh chair creates pressure points and discomfort. They are most suitable for employees who can use accessories like a wireless headset or an adjustable height desk to help them move around at least a bit.

With these three options, and any of our other 24/7 intensive use chairs, you should be on your way to having a comfortable staff in your call center.