Cloud Net, the business phone systems company, today launched www.phonegrader.co.uk, a free service that helps small businesses evaluate the way their phones are answered by their employees.

In a recent survey of small businesses, Cloud Net discovered that while more than half of the businesses surveyed did answer test calls professionally, giving their company name and a greeting, nearly a third failed to do so.

Following the survey, Cloud Net launched www.phonegrader.co.uk to help managers and business owners understand whether their company phones are answered rapidly, pleasantly, informatively and professionally.

Phonegrader.co.uk ranks companies with a grade from 1 to 14 depending on how well the mystery shopper calls are handled. To score 1 companies need to answer rapidly and professionally. Whereas other grades include: a voicemail set up without the ability to leave a message, permanently engaged lines without being diverted to another employee or a voicemail, or phones being picked up with a simple hello and no indication of company name.

"Now is the time when responsiveness to enquiries becomes a key differentiator to increasing sales or customers and to customer retention. Handling calls professionally is something every business should be doing: www.phonegrader.co.uk is a simple, free and objective way of assessing that," says David Hill Chairman of Cloud Net.

Phonegrader.co.uk does not record the calls, nor is any named or identifiable information shared with anyone else. It is genuinely free.

For further information, please visit www.phonegrader.co.uk.

For further information on Cloud Net, please visit www.cloudnetuk.com, call 01922 21 33 33 or email solutions@cloudnetuk.com