In a call centre, the roster schedules every coffee break to the minute. Agents leave the floor for a short break. Every minute in a queue at the kitchen is a minute lost from that break. For a Melbourne call centre or contact centre, the practical answer is a superautomatic office coffee machine in the break room. Size it for the busiest scheduled break rather than the headcount. Panica Coffee rents and services superautomatic office coffee machines for Melbourne workplaces, including busy contact centres. This guide covers sizing for staggered breaks and where to put the machine so the grinder does not reach the floor. It also covers keeping it running across shifts.
Why Is Coffee Different in a Call Centre?
Coffee is different in a call centre because the roster, not the agent, sets short breaks. In a typical office, people drift to the kitchen whenever it suits them. On a contact centre floor, the schedule decides when each group steps away, so demand arrives in waves.
A superautomatic coffee machine grinds the beans, brews the coffee and textures the milk at one button press. As a result, an agent makes a flat white at one press with no barista skills. The next person in line is not waiting for someone to tamp, steam and clean up.
How Do You Size a Coffee Machine for Staggered Breaks?
Size the machine for the largest group that goes on break at the same time, not for the total number of staff. Most contact centres stagger breaks so the phones stay covered. However, the biggest break group still arrives together, and that group sets the capacity the machine needs.
Worked Example: 120 Agents, Two Shifts
As a worked example, picture a contact centre with 120 agents across two shifts. If breaks go out in groups of 20 and most of each group wants a coffee. The machine may then need to make 15 or more drinks in a few minutes, most of them milk drinks. A small office machine would build a queue at that moment, while sitting idle between breaks.
Four questions from your roster decide the machine:
- How many agents go on break at the same time?
- How long is each break, and how far is the machine from the floor?
- Does the centre run late shifts, weekends or 24 hours?
- What share of the break group orders a flat white, latte or cappuccino rather than a long black?
Not sure what capacity your centre needs? Panica Coffee can recommend a machine from your break schedule and floor plan. Our guide to office coffee machine packages by team size gives a starting point.
One Machine or Two?
Two machines often suit a large contact centre better than one bigger machine. When break groups are large, two machines at separate points split the queue. In addition, a fault at one machine does not leave the whole floor without coffee during a long shift.
For centres spread across more than one floor, a machine on each floor usually works better than one central machine. Agents then do not lose part of a short break walking to another level.
Where Should the Coffee Machine Go on a Contact Centre Floor?
Put the machine in the break room or kitchen, away from the call floor. A bean-to-cup machine grinds fresh beans for every cup, and the grinder is audible through a thin wall. On a call floor, that noise reaches customers through the agents’ headsets.
A break room close to the floor saves minutes on every break. Then confirm power, water and space:
- Distance. Keep the walk from the floor short, so the queue, not the walk, is the only thing to plan for.
- Power. A bean-to-cup office machine normally plugs into an ordinary 10 amp outlet, but in a break room that same circuit often runs two microwaves and a boiling-water unit as well. Our guide to coffee machine power requirements explains what to check.
- Water. A plumbed machine fills itself, which suits a centre where nobody owns the job of refilling a tank. Our explainer on tank-fed versus plumbed coffee machines covers the trade-off.
For more on bench space, queue room and noise, see our office coffee machine placement guide.
How Do You Keep It Running Across Shifts?
A coffee machine in a call centre keeps running across shifts when the daily clean and restocking have clear owners on every shift. Many superautomatic office coffee machines run automatic rinse cycles. Staff still need to empty the grounds and drip tray, clean the milk system and refill beans and milk.
Write the routine on a card beside the machine, and give each shift lead the job of checking it before handover. Our daily cleaning routine for office coffee machines sets out the steps. When Panica Coffee installs a machine, we show staff the daily clean so it does not depend on one person.
Renting a Coffee Machine for a Call Centre
For a contact centre, a rental keeps the machine off the capital budget, and a breakdown is handled as a service call. Rental starts at $35 per week ex GST with servicing included (terms and conditions apply). What you pay depends on the size of machine your largest break group needs.
Compare plans and machines on our office coffee machine rental in Melbourne page.
Get a Coffee Machine Recommendation for Your Call Centre
Send us your agent headcount, your break roster and a rough floor plan of the break room. We will match a machine to your busiest break and quote it. Prefer to talk it through? Ring 1300 529 505.
From the Panica shop: coffee beans, milk and takeaway cups and lids.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best coffee machine for a call centre?
A superautomatic office coffee machine usually suits a call centre best. Agents make a coffee at one button press, so the queue moves quickly during a short break. The right model depends on how many agents break at once and how many drinks are milk based.
How many coffee machines does a call centre need?
The number depends on the largest break group, not the total headcount. Large centres often do better with two machines at separate points, or one per floor. The queue splits, and one fault does not stop service.
Where should a call centre put its coffee machine?
Put it in the break room or kitchen, close to the floor but not against a wall shared with the call floor. The grinder is audible, and that noise can reach customers through headsets.
Does a call centre coffee machine need to be plumbed in?
Not always. A tank model runs from a power point alone. In a centre with back-to-back break groups, though, a mains water connection saves someone refilling the tank between breaks.
How much does it cost to rent a coffee machine for a call centre?
Call centre rentals start at $35 per week ex GST, servicing included (terms and conditions apply). Larger centres that need a higher-output machine pay more.
Planning Coffee for Your Contact Centre?
Send Panica Coffee your agent numbers, break schedule and floor plan, or call 1300 529 505. We will recommend a machine that keeps up when the biggest break group arrives.