Providing an indication to a first party that a second party will respond in a timely manner to a communication from the first party

摘要

An apparatus and method for determining the likelihood that a first party will receive a timely response from a second party (404) in response to a message initiated by the first party, and sending an indicator (410) associated with the likelihood of receiving a timely response to a terminal associated with the first party. The likelihood of receiving a timely response can be determined from the response histories of the parties, the relationship of the parties, the types of messages and communication modalities, and presence information. Representative messages can include text messaging, voice communications, and email. Timely responses can include the answering of a voice call, a return call, and reply to a message, and can depend on the communication modality used.