A method and apparatus are disclosed that provide a technique for managing held calls. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a call-handling system receives a first indication of whether a messaging resource is available at or near a terminal for which the system is receiving incoming calls. Examples of messaging resources include instant messaging, email, short messaging service, and so forth. The system might also receive a second indication of whether a messaging resource is available at or near the originating terminal of an incoming call. If the first indication and second indication match, the system will prompt the caller of the originating terminal to use the available messaging resource. In some embodiments, the system will also assign the corresponding incoming call a lower priority relative to other calls because of the availability of the alternative form of communication to the caller.

 
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> Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing call waiting and caller ID and for toggling between active and waiting calls using session initiation protocol (SIP)

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