Method and apparatus for providing contextual information with telephone calls

A method for propagating contextual data in an audio communication, the method comprising:

• converting an audio communication between a first party and a second party to a session initiation protocol based voice over internet protocol communication, the second party associated with a company and the first party associated with a customer of the company;
• obtaining contextual data from the first party, the contextual data descriptive of and specific to the customer;
• storing the contextual data in an extensible mark-up language formatted text document;
• attaching the text document to the session initiation protocol signaling messages that control the voice over internet protocol communication by embedding the text document in a session description payload contained in all signaling messages controlling the audio communication, the signaling messages comprising INVITE and REFER signaling messages and the session description payload comprising information to establish a real-time transport protocol media path between the first party and the second party, the information to establish the real-time transport protocol media path separate from the contextual data;
• and
• propagating the text document with the audio communication.

A non-transitory computer readable medium containing a computer executable code that when read by a computer causes the computer to perform a method for propagating contextual data in an audio communication, the method comprising:

• initiating an audio communication between a first party and a second party, the second party associated with a company and the first party associated with a customer of the company;
• obtaining contextual data from the first party, the contextual data descriptive of and specific to the customer;
• storing the contextual data in a text document;
• linking the text document to the audio communication by embedding the text document in a session description payload contained in all signaling messages controlling the audio communication, the signaling messages comprising INVITE, OK, REFER and ACK signaling messages and the session description payload comprising information to establish a real-time transport protocol media path between the first party and the second party, the information to establish the real-time transport protocol media path separate from the contextual data;
• and
• propagating the text document with the audio communication.