The survey, carried out by Mori for the Gauteng Economic Development Agency in South Africa, polled 1,002 people, found that aside from UK and Ireland accents, the South African accent is found over twice as pleasing as the Indian accent (16% v 7%) and four times more pleasing than the Chinese accent (16% v 4%).
The survey also showed that only 26% of respondents noticed that the call could have been made from abroad.
The survey went on to reveal that the South African accent is the third easiest to understand (13%) after American (39%) and Australian (37%) accents.
Angela Kays, UK and Europe manager of GEDA, said: "Our survey reveals that 66% of the British public don't mind if their call centre is handled abroad, as long as their call is handled quickly and professionally."
She added: "By outsourcing to South Africa, the call handlers will understand their subject matter as English is their first language. The strengths of South Africa lie in the fact that it has a similar working culture as that of its target markets, the US and the UK, it is in the same time zones as the UK, and has high levels of advanced technical capabilities and an excellent telecommunications infrastructure, particularly in its economic hub."
The survey also revealed that 30% of those asked were happy if their call was answered from abroad as long as it was from an English-speaking country.
This was the third most important factor ahead of speaking to a person as opposed to an automated service, and a high level of customer service (51% and 44% respectively).
GEDA is the investment agency for the province of Gauteng in South Africa. The agency's aim is to implement and promote the economic growth and development policy of the Gauteng provincial government.
Sykes and Lufthansa are some of the big names with operations already located in Gauteng. The Lufthansa contact centre was used for disaster recovery after September 11 when all calls were diverted from the US.
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