The study shows nearly half (48 per cent) of Britons find dealing with their bank by phone a frustrating experience, and 63 per cent say the same about their insurance company.

Forty-one per cent of consumers indicate that being able to speak 'naturally' to an automated service would be the one improvement they would like to see. Twenty-seven per cent say they would prefer not having to repeat themselves for every transaction, while 21 per cent suggest having confirmation of the transaction they have just made would improve an automated call service.

Of those questioned one in twenty say they feel the service from their bank is so awful they refuse to deal with them by phone, and one in ten indicate that they only use the phone to communicate with their insurance company because there is no other option.

However, the study did show that consumers give banks a higher rating when compared to call centres for utilities companies and local councils. Just seven per cent say the service they receive from their council was efficient, while nearly a third of those questioned say the phone service from their gas or electricity provider is unacceptable.

Overall only one in ten Britons say they currently find conducting business by phone quick and convenient.

Paul Wright, CEO of Vocalis, says: "Call centres represent a huge outlay for businesses and they are an extremely important part of customer communication. It's therefore vital that they get it right so that consumers are satisfied with the service they are getting."