Abstract: A work despatch system in which instructions are transmitted to mobile staff 7, such as the emergency services or operatives of utility providers, has the additional facility to embed recordings 6 of initial customer interactions in the instructions to allow the mobile staff 7 to gain a fuller understanding of the requirements of the customer 4 prior to attending an activity. The recording may be transmitted in the form of an audio file, containing a recording 6 of a telephone conversation, attached to a text instruction (email). To assist the mobile staff, any textual matter, whether in the instructions or the attached recording, may be converted to audio form.