Andrew Bedwell is one of those people you meet only once or twice in a lifetime. Fearless, determined, funny, humble and downright bonkers. A couple of years ago, Andrew attempted to break the world record for the shortest boat ever to cross the Atlantic . Not the shortest crossing , mind you, the shortest boat - a vessel that's only just about 1m in length. Smaller than a bathtub! Well, the first attempt didn't go to plan but Andrew is trying again this May and has spent two years designing and building his second boat - Big C V2. We're sponsoring Andrew again here at Start Software and helping him to raise funds for his boat and for for cancer charities. The boat is taking shape, as you can see, and Andrew will soon be taking it for sea trials and finalising his equipment. We'll be publishing regular updates now that he's closing in on the attempt, so watch this space ! PS in case you're wondering, it's likely to take Andrew 90 days an...
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Robin's interview with Paul King from Flow Mobile Surveying is up on YouTube. Take a look to see how we are joining forces to build the Lab Sample Exchange
If you've got an asbestos lab, watch this YouTube recording of an interview between Flow Mobile's Paul King and our director Robin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4vo4Iv4dfw
The Lab Sample Exchange feature that we have built will be a game-changer for Alpha Tracker labs wanting to work more closely Flow Mobile Surveyors (or Alpha Tracker asbestos surveyors!).
Speak to your Alpha Tracker Account Manager to find out more about the Lab Sample Exchange and how it can benefit your asbestos lab and surveying team.
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| Paul King (Flow Mobile Surveying) and Robin Bennett (Alpha Tracker) |
The Lab Sample Exchange feature that we have built will be a game-changer for Alpha Tracker labs wanting to work more closely Flow Mobile Surveyors (or Alpha Tracker asbestos surveyors!).
Watch the full video to learn more (especially about grey hairs...!).
Start Software is having quite an "International" January
An integral part of our commitment to our customers is providing 24/7 support, no matter where in the world they are.
This isn't easy to organise, as you can imagine. It is slightly easier this January, as we've found ourselves with members of the team based in more countries than ever before.
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| Call us for support and you could be speaking to us anywhere! |
In January 2025, we have staff members working in:
- UK
- Australia
- South Africa
- Indonesia
- Albania
- USA, and
- Japan
Phew!
There's a new Alpha Tracker Mobile in the app stores and another coming along soon
Our latest Alpha Tracker Mobile update has hit the app stores (Google and Apple).
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| Alpha Tracker Mobile in the Google and Apple app stores |
The biggest change will benefit Alpha Tracker water hygiene (Legionella) technicians. We've improved the logic which powers our data integrity checks, and this should reduce the number of alerts that the technicians see, especially at the start of the day.
A larger update is on its way, featuring a new sync method that makes it faster and easier for site staff to send in their data and photos
Happy New Year! We'll be sharing our 2025 plans soon. What are yours?!
We've wrapped up 2024 and it's been one of our busiest years yet. Many new clients have switched from competitor software products to become customers of ours, having heard about our ambitions, our technology and our 24x7 personal support.
Thanks again and here's to a prosperous 2025 for us all.
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| Another shockingly-bad AI generated image... will they improve in 2025?! |
On the Support Desk, we've regularly seen more than 1,000 tickets raised in a month although December was quieter. During last month, December 2024, we had 715 calls for assistance altogether of which 193 were deemed to be high priority by the caller. 88% of the most important tickets were resolved within two hours.
2025 is going to be really interesting. We're working hard for some international clients (providing Alpha Software consultancy), we have new versions of all of our products in development (including Alpha Tracker and ecoScribe), and we have opportunities to work in new markets including Norway and elsewhere in Europe.
Naturally, 2024 has been difficult at times for us, too. In particular, we tragically lost one of our most inspiring business associates and long-time friend of director Robin, Clive Ponder. Clive was a supporter, a mentor, a client, a friend. He'll be sorely missed.
Looking ahead, we are refreshing our UK team and we have been joined by talented contract specialists from Albania and beyond.
We'd like to thank all of our customers for supporting us throughout 2024. We know we don't always get everything right, but we always put our customers first and you can count on us to go the extra mile to support you and help you grow. We never forget that our success depends on your success.
Thanks again and here's to a prosperous 2025 for us all.
Robin, Judy, Catherine, Dan, Jack, Jamie, Zac, Adam, Lucas, Melika, Kim, Ferry, Falah, Fatbardh, Jaime, Leanne, Tina, Josh & Russ.
PS Don't forget to share your plans with us! The more we know about your business, the more we can help
Christmas 2024 opening hours. We're open and here to support you throughout the holiday period
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and we're still here to help you right until 4pm on Christmas Eve! 🎄
We want to make sure all our wonderful clients know about our opening hours during the festive season. Here’s what you need to know:
✨ Closed: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day – because even we need time for mince pies and New Year’s resolutions!
✨ Open: We're here for you 24/7 on all other days until we resume our regular hours on 2 January 2025.
Thank you so much for your support and business throughout 2024. We're bigger than ever and looking forward to a successful 2025.
Enjoy the holidays, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you need us before or after the big celebrations!
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| We might even get some snow this year |
PS when it snowed a few weeks ago, we tried to make a snowman on our balcony. Not a great effort, but we tried...
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| Please don't ask why he is wearing plastic gloves and a Captain's hat |
PS We've made a donation to the incredible Mesothelioma UK charity instead of spending money on Christmas cards - please do support them if you can, too
NORAC - The National Organisation of Asbestos Consultants - shares our "Damage" report update
Great to see that NORAC has shared our Damage report update for November 2024.
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| Visit norac.org.uk to read more |
Read more here: https://alpha-tracker.co.uk/damage