Unbiased has begun scoring advisers on how quickly they reply.

The new ‘Response Rating’, available from yesterday, is aimed at helping consumers compare advisers, the website said.

Advisers are to be rated out of 10 based on how promptly they act on enquiries.

The Response Rating will be generated automatically, rather than being scored by consumers, in order to be an objective and accurate assessment, Unbiased said in its announcement.

Advisers can maintain and increase their rating simply by ensuring that they check their enquiries daily, accepting those that they want to follow up and rejecting those that are not suitable (so that these can be passed on). By doing this, advisers can help ensure that enquiries are matched more quickly with a professional who is able to help.

Consumers will be able to view each adviser’s Response Rating on their Unbiased listing, which may help them make a decision about which adviser to contact. Advisers in turn can use this new feature to their advantage, as a high rating is another way to stand out in a competitive market.

Michael Ossei, head of adviser product and services at Unbiased, said: “In today’s world, when people want something, they want it now – or at least, as soon as possible. Online services of all kinds have risen to this challenge, such that consumers now expect a rapid response with minimal waiting.

“This holds true when people contact a financial adviser, so we’ve listened to their feedback and acted upon it. Unbiased has already made great strides in improving the consumer journey, with a new system that can automatically match enquiries to the most suitable adviser, and this has significantly reduced waiting times.

“The Response Rating feature builds on that progress by encouraging some positive yet simple behaviours from advisers who list with us. Checking enquiries daily is an excellent habit for advisers to nurture anyway if they want to find the right kinds of clients, and there is a similar benefit to consumers if they are matched more quickly.”

He said: “By encouraging more of our advisers to check their messages daily, we should see not just faster but more accurate matches, so consumers find the ideal adviser for them at the first attempt. Furthermore, advisers should start to benefit from more forwarded enquiries, as fewer enquiries will be allowed to expire.”