If you’ve been in the asbestos game for more than five minutes, you know the routine. You’re out on a site, maybe it's a derelict factory, a busy hospital wing, or a site where someone’s "accidentally" tipped a load of suspicious-looking debris. You spot something. You take a sample. You bag it, tag it, and then... you wait. You wait for the courier. You wait for the lab. You wait for the results to be typed up. By the time you actually know what you’re dealing with, the project might have stalled, the client is breathing down your neck, and you’ve spent half your life refreshing your inbox. Well, we’ve been working on something behind the scenes that’s going to change that. Actually, it’s going to do more than change it, it’s going to flip the script entirely. We are absolutely chuffed to announce a brand-new integration between Alpha Tracker and the ASBpro handheld asbestos analyser from the clever folks at PAS Scientific. Imagine being able to identify asbestos i...
Posts
Andrew is away! Keep your fingers crossed for fair winds over the next few days while he gains distance from the treacherous shoreline
I can hardly believe that I'm writing this... Andrew Bedwell has finally set off on his 3-month world-record breaking trip across the Atlantic! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w3jgqj0nno
 |
| Andrew alongside his tow boat |
Andrew's boat Big C was towed out of Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, and then he set off on an almost unimaginable journey of a lifetime.
You can read all about our connection to Andrew and Big C including the apps we have built so that he can send updates from the boat and everyone can follow his progress. We have used AI development tools and Alpha TransForm to build the apps.
Scan this QR code to view our web app https://big-c-atlantic-challenge.app and follow Andrew's progress!
 |
| Scan and register to follow Andrew's progress - https://big-c-atlantic-challenge.app |
Alpha Tracker support performance update for May 2026
We have updated our monthly support performance figures for May 2026 and, once again, the Alpha Tracker support team has delivered a strong month for our clients.
 |
| May was a good month on the Support Desk |
During May, we solved 804 support requests, with 758 completed within our target response times. That means 94.28% of all support requests were resolved in time.
For higher priority support requests, the results were even stronger. We solved 171 high-priority requests within target, giving us an in-time performance of 96.07% for those more urgent cases.
Six months of consistent support performance
Looking across the last six months, from December 2025 to May 2026, the team has now resolved 5,184 support requests.
Of these:
4,816 were completed within target
936 high-priority requests were completed within target
The overall in-time performance has remained consistently above 91% every month
High-priority in-time performance has remained above 96% every month
That consistency matters. Support performance is not just about having one good month. It is about being reliable month after month, especially when clients are relying on Alpha Tracker to help manage asbestos, legionella, fire, water hygiene and other compliance work.
May in context
May was another busy month, with more than 800 support requests solved. The overall in-time figure of 94.28% was the best result of the last six months, which is particularly pleasing.
It was also good to see high-priority support remain strong at 96.07%, even with a higher number of urgent requests than in April.
As always, we are grateful to our clients for the clear information they provide when raising support requests. Good detail at the start helps us investigate faster, respond more accurately and keep things moving.
Thank you to the support team
A big thank you to the Start Software support team for another excellent month.
Reliable support is a big part of what makes Alpha Tracker different. Our clients need practical help from people who understand both the software and the industries they work in. These figures show the team continuing to deliver that help quickly, consistently and professionally.
We will publish the next support performance update once the June figures are available.
New feature in Alpha Tracker Mobile. "Add all sentinel outlets" on a water monitoring visit with one tap
This feature has been one of the most frequently requested by our water hygiene Alpha Tracker users!
 |
| "Add All Sentinels" - new in Alpha Tracker Mobile |
Jack has added a new feature in Alpha Tracker Mobile so that water hygiene technicians can add all sentinel outlets to their job with just one tap - nice!
Start Software's apps for Clean Up Britain appear on ITV's Good Morning Britain
We developed four apps for anti-litter campaign group Clean Up Britain and they have really taken off.
Founder John Read was on Good Morning Britain this morning (he's a regular!) to talk about the litter problem in the UK, and so we briefed him on the amount of data the apps have now collected for the campaign.
 |
| Start Software's apps for Clean Up Britain |
Founder John Read was on Good Morning Britain this morning (he's a regular!) to talk about the litter problem in the UK, and so we briefed him on the amount of data the apps have now collected for the campaign.
 |
| John Read on Good Morning Britain today |
For example, each week our apps collect more than 1,000 reports from road users reporting litter on the roadside. Mount your phone so the camera is pointing at the verge, and our automated AI-powered "litter dashcam" app takes photos every few seconds and uses AI to grade the litter and log it to our database. The information gathered is used to feed back to councils & National Highways and informs the national policy discussion.
 |
| Our Litter Dashcam app - https://roadside-litter.cleanupbritain.app/ |
Try the apps for yourself at https://cleanupbritain.app/ or use this QR code:
 |
| Scan to use the Clean Up Britain apps |
Welcome Keith to the Support Desk!
We have a new member of staff on our Support Desk - welcome Keith!
 |
| Keith Saunders taking a call on the Support Desk |
Keith has extensive experience of supporting software users and has mainly worked in large organisations such as HRMC. Working in our smaller team will be a change of pace and approach - and hopefully won't be too "taxing" (see what I did there...).
Alpha Tracker asbestos software users have already been talking to Keith as he starts his training - and they have already benefited from his server and technical expertise. We'll really pleased to have Keith board - do say hello when you next call.
Significant performance improvements are being seen with Alpha Tracker Release 42 beta
We are pleased to say that the beta version of Alpha Tracker Release 42 is already looking very encouraging.
 |
| Dan & Jack studying the Apdex results |
A small number of clients have been trying the new release, and the early signs are positive. In particular, some clients are seeing their Apdex score improve by around 3 to 5 points.
That may sound like a small number, but in day-to-day use it can make a noticeable difference. It means Alpha Tracker is feeling quicker, smoother and more responsive for users, especially when carrying out regular tasks across the system.
There is still more testing to do before the full release, but these early results are a promising sign. We will continue to monitor performance closely during the beta period and fine-tune things where needed.
Thank you to everyone helping us test Release 42. Your feedback is already making a difference.