Method and apparatus for the efficient utilization of trunk bandwidth in a global enterprise

The present invention relates to the operation of interconnected switches or call centers. In particular, the present invention allows communication bandwidth to be conserved, by providing audible feedback from a switch that is relatively local to a caller, even though a call center that is remote to the caller has accepted responsibility for routing the call to an agent. In addition, the present invention simplifies the administration of audible feedback by allowing such feedback to be provided from a centralized or common location. The present invention allows for the reliable operation of call center arrangements, without requiring that communication channels interconnecting switches or call centers that are grossly oversized in proportion to the data required to be carried in association with conversations between callers and agents. In addition, the present invention allows for call center processing features to be fully functional on a receiving switch, while audible feedback is provided to a caller on hold from a sending switch.