A method of monitoring a communications session between an agent of a contact centre and a user of that contact centre involves analysing data from the session to locate a pattern of data indicative of a situation requiring intervention in the communications session, such as a prolonged silence, shouting, or one or more words and phrases from a stored list. The analysis can also look for a pattern of data indicative of a situation in which the agent might benefit from additional information available to the contact centre (such as a help facility or access to information regarding the user). On recognising such a pattern of data, an alert is issued to a system of the contact centre, in order to notify a human supervisor or an automated system to intervene in the communications session or to provide the agent with additional information.