Instil a Sense of Calm in Your Contact Centre

Working in a contact centre can feel like being inside a hive: phones ringing, keyboards clacking, people talking over one another to meet targets or calm frustrated customers.

And while the hustle might seem like part of the job, there’s growing recognition that the constant noise and urgency can take a serious toll on both agent wellbeing and the quality of customer conversations.

But it doesn’t have to be this way! With a few intentional choices, you can turn even the busiest contact centre into a calmer, more human space. One that helps people think clearly, work confidently, and leave at the end of the day with something left in the tank.

So, what does this all mean in practice?

Redecorate Your Physical Spaces

The layout, look, and feel of a contact centre often sets the tone for the entire culture.

If your environment feels clinical, cold, or chaotic, it’ll be reflected in the way your team shows up – whether you like it or not.

Here are a few small shifts that make a surprisingly big difference:

Use Calming Colour Schemes

Blues, greens, and neutral tones help reduce visual overstimulation and support a more relaxed mood.

You don’t need to paint every wall sage green, however. Incorporating calming hues in desk dividers, soft furnishings, or breakout areas at the very least can still have notable effects.

Prioritize Noise Control

Noise is one of the most common sources of stress in a contact centre. The constant hum of voices, ringing phones, and background chatter can make it hard for agents to stay focused – let alone calm.

If you can, look at adding soundproof panels between stations, white noise machines in common areas, or investing in noise-cancelling headsets.

Even rearranging desks to create more natural sound barriers (e.g. back-to-back set-ups or staggered spacing) can help.

For more advice on reducing contact centre noise, read our article: How to Reduce Background Noise During a Call

Add Plants and Natural Elements

Try adding greenery to shared spaces, or gift every new starter a desk plant on their first day – something small and easy to maintain (like a succulent or snake plant) works well.

This theory doesn’t just have to apply to in-office agents. If you’re running a remote team, consider offering a small wellbeing allowance or home office starter kit. Even £20 towards a plant, a lamp, or a piece of art can make a home workspace feel more grounding and professional.

Reimagine Your Break Spaces

Break rooms shouldn’t feel like waiting rooms.

Think soft lighting, comfy seating, calming wall art, maybe even a scent diffuser or quiet corner for those who need a moment away.

A second-hand armchair and a few mood lamps go a long way. The key is in intentionally creating an atmosphere where people can genuinely reset, not just pretend to relax despite being under the harshest strip lights imaginable.

Rethink Your Leadership Culture

If you want to create a calmer contact centre, your leadership team has to model that calm themselves. Not in a performative way, but in a human, lived, visible way – like this:

Take Your Breaks, and Encourage Others to Take Theirs

If management never take lunch or are always replying to emails at 10pm, the message is that calm is not a priority here. Even if that’s not what you meant to communicate, that’s what lands.

So, make it a norm to take breaks properly, leave on time, and speak openly about the importance of rest and reset where you can. It’ll do far more than a wellness initiative ever could.

For first-hand experience of how best to manage agent breaks in the contact centre, read our article: Is It Best to Schedule or Free-Style Agent Breaks?

Be Self-Aware About Your Own Stress

When operational pressure ramps up, it’s easy for the stress of managers to spill out in the form of short replies, a passive-aggressive tone, or micromanaging without meaning to.

The best leaders know how to notice those moments in themselves and course-correct quickly.

It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being accountable and human.

Tackle the Root Causes of Chaos

One of the most impactful things you can do as a leader is get your operational ducks in a row.

Calm doesn’t stick if your team is constantly firefighting because of broken processes, outdated systems, or unclear targets.

When operations are smooth, people naturally feel calmer. There’s less second-guessing, fewer last-minute emergencies, and more room for agents to actually connect with customers, instead of just surviving the shift.

Refine the Rhythm of Your Workday

Calm can also be built into the rhythm of the workday – it’s not just about the physical or cultural environment.

Here are a few simple rituals you can try:

The Start-of-Day Intention Setting

A short 2-minute huddle where everyone shares their focus or intention for the day.

It could be something like “stay patient”, “ask for help if I need it”, or “breathe after tough calls”.

If you want advice to get your agents’ day off to the best start, read our article: Hit the Ground Running! How to Help Your Agents Be Shift Ready

The Mid-Shift Reset

A quiet 5-minute pause with music, guided breathing, or simply a tea break.

It can feel awkward at first, but after a week or two, it can become a valued part of the routine.

The End-of-Week Wind-Down

Cheer the weekly small wins, acknowledge the effort of individuals or full teams, and send people into the weekend feeling like they’ve done something meaningful – not just “survived another week”.

As Shep Hyken, CAO (Chief Amazement Officer) at Shepard Presentations LLC, recently shared in our article on Make Fridays More Fun in Your Contact Centre, a great way to end a Friday shift is to share a “Moment of Magic” with your agents as they head out the door:

A Calmer Contact Centre Really Does Make a Difference

A high-pressure contact centre doesn’t just affect morale, it shows up in everything: higher attrition rates, longer handling times, frustrated customers, and burnt-out agents.

On the flip side, calm doesn’t have to mean slow or unproductive. In fact, a calmer space often leads to better focus, more empathetic responses, and a team that’s not just surviving the workday, but actually thriving in it.

If you are looking for more information to improve your contact centre environment, read these articles next:

• The Latest Thinking on Organizational Design and Workplace Stress
• Do You Know Enough About Wellbeing Technology?
• What Great Leaders Know About Team Climate and Results

Author: Stephanie Lennox
Reviewed by: Jo Robinson