MULTI-CONTEXT CONVERSATIONAL ENVIRONMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD

An interactive speech-activated information retrieval application for use in automated telephone systems includes a control manager that interfaces between the caller's speech input and applications and enables several applications to be open at the same time. The control manager continually monitors for control words, enabling the user to switch between applications at will. When a user switches to another application, the control manager suspends the first application and stores its context, enabling the user to later return to the application at the point where the application was previously suspended.