The study of 1,000 consumers, conducted on behalf of PH Media Group, discovered 53 per cent of Brits are satisfied with the way dentists' handle their calls, better than any other industry.
They are closely followed by the hotel trade, which boasts a 50 per cent satisfaction level, while printers performed the worst of all industries included in the survey, achieving just 18 per cent satisfaction.
"These results clearly reflect well on the dental profession and show surgeries are doing a good job of handling customer phone calls in a professional and efficient manner," said Mark Williamson, sales and marketing director, PH Media Group.
"But even though 52 per cent of customers are pleased with the way their calls are being handled, there remains a significant proportion of callers who could have generated a negative perception through bad caller experience.
"There is perhaps a tendency among companies to focus their attention and budgets on visual marketing and internet presence but the telephone remains a crucial aspect of customer service, branding and marketing."
Women were found to be particularly satisfied with the way dental surgeries answered their calls, with 56 per cent claiming to be happy, compared to 47 per cent of men.
There was also a split between different age demographics, with a particular division among the youngest customers. Only 35 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds claimed to be satisfied, compared to 52 per cent of 25 to 34 year olds and 56 per cent of 35 to 44 year olds. Satisfaction even rose to 63 per cent of 55 to 64 year olds.
"The fluctuations across different genders and ages show not all customers feel their needs are being met, so there is an onus on businesses to address this by improving overall caller experience," added Williamson.
"Responding to calls quicker, or establishing a set practice for answering the phone, both represent a good start. But true best practice can be achieved by implementing tools such as on-hold marketing - bespoke voice and music messages that are played on hold - in order to establish top class service and a congruent brand across all touchpoints with customers."