When asked which well-known personality would be an ideal call centre advisor, Fern Britten
was the convincing winner.  In second and third places were Prime Minister Gordon Brown and
businessman Sir Alan Sugar. These are the findings of a recent study conducted by market
research agency Maritz Research.  
The Brits expect an advisor to be quick witted, with a sense of humour and a pleasant voice on the
telephone, explains Dawn Ray, General Manager Research at Maritz Research. Being down to earth
and having the ability to listen are also necessary. Fern Britton has all of these qualities.
The TV presenter was particularly liked amongst people with a yearly income of over £50,000 and
those aged between 18 and 44.
The study also shows clearly who the Brits regard as completely unsuitable for call centre work:
the football star David Beckham, the pop singer Britney Spears and the model Jordan, also known as
 Katie Price, who with 0.4% received the fewest votes of all 15 candidates. For Dawn Ray, the results are
not surprising: David Beckham is as popular as ever in Great Britain, but is primarily associated with his sporting successes. People clearly therefore do not trust him enough to receive advice from him over the phone. The same is true of Britney Spears and Jordan.
In general, British men prefer to talk to another man on the phone. Gordon Brown and Alan Sugar fare better with males surveyed than their female counterparts. The British women, on the other hand, would be happy to be advised by actress and comedienne Dawn French or by James Bond actor Daniel Craig.
The Top Five most popular call centre voices:
Fern Britton (14 percent)
Sir Alan Sugar (8 percent)
Gordon Brown (8 percent)
Dawn French (7 percent)
Kate Winslet and Daniel Craig (6 percent)
Source: Maritz Poll