The BBC's Jon Braine: "Companies must ensure the telephone is answered promptly"

The study by the Co-operative Bank also found that two out of three business phone users say they are irritated by the music they are forced to listen to.

Office workers can waste up to 10 minutes a day on hold to another company, which the survey's authors warn leads to reduced efficiency and even lost business.

Greensleeves topped the list of the most loathsome electronic jingles, although classical music rated as the most tolerable category overall.

Greensleeves rated as the worst hold music

Even so, more than 50% of those who are stuck with classical compositions find them infuriating.

The types of music that polled the worst results were country and western and jazz.

But the length of time office workers are experiencing on hold conflicts with the belief among smaller businesses that they are better at handling calls than they were 10 years ago.

A large majority - 69% - count their telephone as their most important business tool.

Co-operative Bank spokesman Steve Jennings said: "Customers very often get their first impressions of a business by the way telephone calls are handled, and can be put off dealing with a certain company if the phone isn't answered promptly or if they are kept on hold for too long."

"Many companies now pledge to answer calls within a certain number of rings, but it's important for all businesses to get it right if they are going to be successful."