Only one in ten UK bank account holders is satisfied with the service of call centres, and the majority of customers preferring to use the internet instead, says research.

Some 76 per cent of the 500 customers polled by Maritz Research would rather use the web to make their financial transactions.

Reasons for dissatisfaction included trouble reaching customer service representatives (66 per cent) and a feeling agents are not sufficiently trained (56 per cent)

And only seven per cent said they have confidence in the call centre agents.

“These are alarming figures,” said Dawn Ray, general manager research UK at Maritz.

“It indicates that financial institutions need to invest in processes that not only ensure the customer resolves their query straight away, but provide the required training to support this.”