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Researchers conducted mystery shopper tests on 52 organisations, asking simple queries via online help services, such as "What are the interest rates?" or "How do you ensure that the internet banking you provide is secure?"

Over half of UK organisations didn't respond correctly to these queries; giving an incorrect or inappropriate response, while nearly

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a fifth failed to respond at all.

The researchers also found that a third didn't provide the correct email address on their site, even though 97% of banks provided customer service telephone numbers.

"We were surprised at the poor level of customer service revealed by the study, especially with UK banks and building societies being so reliant on a superior customer experience to differentiate their brands," says Marchai Bruchey, chief marketing officer at KANA.

"With internet access in nearly 16 million UK households, there is growing consumer demand for a quality online experience, and more consistency between web and branch. Any business that ignores online communication channels does so at their peril - in the competitive world of retail banking, this is especially true."

PC Pro will be bringing you a full review of online banking options in the UK in issue 163, looking at the services each offers.