The 'cash for calls' scheme is available on all phones, including those making calls over the Internet and mobiles.

Incoming calls earn a credit on the customers’ monthly bills, helping to reduce the price of communications. For example, a business with six lines receiving five hours of inbound calls per day would receive more than £50 a month, the company states.

The product is available to BNS clients with hosted systems, that make calls over the Internet using broadband, or a Smartbox. The calls are credited on a minute-by-minute basis.

There is no need for companies to change their phone number or move away from a traditional BT line, the company advises, and the payments apply to all incoming calls from the UK and abroad.

Garry Moat, BNS chief executive, said: 'Payment for incoming calls is just one of a number of innovate products and services that prove we are ahead of the game.'

BNS is paying back .1p per minute, which equates to a penny for every ten minutes or £1 for every 1000 minutes.