Two weeks to go until Sydney, Australia and the FAMANZ Asbestos Conference

In just a fortnight, Robin Bennett, CEO of Alpha Tracker, will be speaking at the FAMANZ Asbestos Conference in Sydney. #Asbestos2026 

He’ll be joined by Judy Key, Director of our Australian asbestos software company, Alpha Tracker Pty, as we connect with asbestos professionals from across Australia and New Zealand.

Robin’s topic: AI innovations in asbestos surveying

Artificial Intelligence is no longer something “coming soon” to our sector. It is already reshaping how surveys are captured, analysed and delivered.

Robin will be sharing practical, real-world insights into:

• How AI can support asbestos survey data validation

• Reducing reporting time without compromising compliance

• Improving accuracy and consistency across large portfolios

• Where AI genuinely helps, and where human expertise still matters most

As always, this won’t be blue-sky theory. It will be grounded in real development work inside Alpha Tracker and real challenges faced by asbestos consultants every day.

Why this matters

The asbestos industry is under constant pressure: tighter compliance expectations, faster turnaround times and increasing scrutiny from clients and regulators.

AI is not about replacing surveyors. It is about giving them better tools.

If you’re attending FAMANZ in Sydney, we would love to see you there. Come and say hello, ask questions, and find out what’s next for AI-driven asbestos management software.

Australia, we’re looking forward to seeing you soon.

Our Second Traction/EOS Away Day – Birmingham, Big Goals and Even Bigger Ambition

Yesterday we held our second Traction/EOS “away day” in Birmingham.

Present were:

• Me (Robin, CEO)

• Catherine, our Customer Success Manager

• Jack, CTO

• Dan, Development Manager

No inbox distractions. No “just a quick call”. Just a room, a screen, notebooks… and some properly big thinking.

Jack, Dan, Catherine and my empty chair!

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Why We Do Traction Days

We follow the principles in Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman. It’s not fluffy strategy. It’s structured, practical and occasionally uncomfortable.

And that’s exactly why it works.

Our away days are designed to pull us out of day-to-day delivery mode and force us to answer questions like:

• Where are we actually going?

• What does success look like in 12 months?

• In 3 years?

• In 10?

• Do the right people own the right things?

• Are we building the team we’ll need — not just the team we have?

Traction and a glass of gin/water

Setting Our 1-Year, 3-Year and 10-Year Targets

The 10-year conversation is always my favourite.

It stretches thinking. It removes artificial limits. It forces us to ask what Start Software and Alpha Tracker could genuinely become if we execute well, stay focused and keep improving.

From there, we worked backwards:

• What must be true in 3 years to make that 10-year vision inevitable?

• What absolutely has to happen in the next 12 months to stay on track?

This isn’t about vague ambition. It’s about clarity.

Revenue targets. Product development priorities. Market positioning. Team structure. Delivery standards. Everything gets put under the microscope.

And sometimes rewritten.

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Reviewing Our Accountability Chart

One of the most valuable parts of the day was reviewing our staff accountability chart.

Not a traditional org chart. An accountability chart.

There’s a big difference.

It forces us to define:

• Who owns what.

• Where responsibilities overlap.

• Where there are gaps.

• Whether someone truly “gets it, wants it and has the capacity to do it”.

These conversations are constructive, but they’re honest. If we want to grow sustainably, clarity beats comfort every time.

We also reviewed development needs — not just technical capability, but leadership growth, communication and decision-making maturity.

If we want a 10-year vision to become reality, we have to grow as individuals at the same rate as the business.

Our first time at St Paul's Suite in Birmingham, a great venue

Why Away Days Matter

It would be easy to skip days like this.

There’s always client work to deliver. Always features to build. Always improvements to make.

But without stepping back, you drift.

With structured planning, you steer.

This was our second Traction away day. The conversations were sharper than the first. The thinking was clearer. The ambition was bigger.

And that’s exactly how it should be.

Onwards.

A long lunch with old friend and asbestos compaigner, Ray Nye

Today was one of those visits that reminds you what really matters.

Me (Robin), Kirsty, Ray and Andrew

I popped in to see Ray Nye, the husband of the much-missed and much-loved Mavis Nye, along with regular visitor Kirsty Budenbender from DSK and Andrew Paten from UKNAR. What was meant to be a catch-up turned into a proper natter, plenty of laughter, and the sort of easy conversation that only happens when people genuinely enjoy each other’s company.

Ray was on fine form.

There’s something wonderfully grounding about spending time with someone who has seen so much, done so much, and yet still carries warmth and humour so lightly. We talked about work, about people we know, about life generally, about Bristol Zoo, and about Ray's new hobby, Mahjong! It was not solemn. It was not formal. It was simply good company.

Remembering Mavis, Naturally

Of course, whenever Ray is in the room, Mavis is never far from the conversation.

Not in a heavy way. Not in a sombre way. Just as part of the fabric of things.

Mavis Nye did extraordinary work as an asbestos awareness campaigner. After being diagnosed with mesothelioma, she turned what would have crushed many people into a platform for action. She campaigned tirelessly for better awareness, stronger regulation, and justice for those affected by asbestos exposure. She helped give a voice to people who often felt unheard.

And she did it with courage, humour, and determination.

The funny thing is, when you’re sitting in Ray’s living room laughing about everyday things, you’re reminded that behind every campaign, every headline, every policy discussion, there are real people. Real families. Real lives.

That’s easy to forget when we are buried in paperwork, compliance documents, or technical guidance.

Why It Still Matters

Asbestos is not history. It is not something we can neatly file away under “industrial past”.

It is still present in thousands of buildings across the UK. It still poses risks. It still affects families. The work that organisations like DSK and UKNAR are doing remains important because awareness, management, and responsibility are ongoing duties, not one-off exercises.  It's the reason we created asbestos software Alpha Tracker here at Start Software.

But today was not about reports or regulations.

It was about connection.

It was about remembering that behind every awareness campaign is a human story. Behind every safety protocol is someone’s parent, partner, or friend.

And it was about laughter.

Because if Mavis taught us anything, it was that strength and humour are not opposites. They sit very comfortably together.

The Best Kind of Catch Up

We left having laughed a lot, put the world to rights in a modest sort of way, and reminded ourselves why the work around asbestos awareness still matters.

Not because it is dramatic.

Not because it is political.

But because it is personal.

And sometimes the most meaningful moments are simply a handful of people in a warm room, sharing stories, remembering someone remarkable, and carrying on the work in their own way.

Thank you, Ray, for the welcome, the stories, and the laughs.

We’ll be back for another cup of tea and Kirsty's sandwiches soon.

🚨 High Priority Under Pressure: Delivering When It Matters Most

When we talk about Support Desk performance, it’s easy to focus on overall SLA percentages. But some tickets matter more than others — and that’s where the real story lives.

Our Support Desk - performing Under Pressure

High-priority (H) tickets are often time-critical, business-impacting, and unpredictable. Looking back over the last six months, these tickets show just how consistent and resilient the Support Desk has been when the pressure is on.

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📊 Consistency where it counts

Between August and January, the Support Desk resolved 992 high-priority tickets. Throughout that entire period, the in-time rate for H tickets stayed impressively high — between 97% and 99% every single month.

January is a strong example:

• 🔴 174 high-priority tickets solved

• ⏱️ 98.86% completed within SLA

That level of performance doesn’t happen by chance. It shows clear prioritisation and a strong focus on what matters most.

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💪 Pressure doesn’t mean compromise

Ticket volumes naturally rise and fall. Over the same six-month period, total tickets solved ranged from 685 to 947 per month.

Even during busier months like October and January, high-priority performance remained consistently strong. When demand increases, the desk doesn’t trade quality for speed — it adapts.

That’s a key indicator of a mature and reliable support operation.

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🧠 What helps make this possible?

Behind the numbers are some important habits:

• Clear triage and prioritisation

• Strong ownership and handovers

• Experience handling complex and urgent issues

• A shared understanding of what “high priority” really means

Together, these keep critical issues moving — even when things get busy.

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🔮 Looking ahead

High-priority tickets will always be unpredictable. What is predictable is how the Support Desk responds.

As we move into the next quarter, the challenge isn’t just maintaining these results — it’s understanding what helps sustain them at scale, and where we can push even further.

Because when it really matters, performance under pressure is what counts most ⭐

Our Start Software Support Desk handles issues for asbestos/water/fire software Alpha Tracker, legal services portal Alpha Legal/Alpha Portal and environmental reporting software ecoScribe.

🚗 Start Software's Roadvlog on Good Morning Britain — Clean Up Britain Spotlight on Britain’s Most Repulsive Road

Britain's most repulsive road - the A50/A38

This week, Roadvlog was featured on ITV’s Good Morning Britain during a discussion about Britain’s most repulsive road — and the national attention couldn’t have come at a better time for our growing community of road observers and data contributors.  Watch for yourself, here: https://www.itv.com/watch/good-morning-britain/2a3211/2a3211a4265 (fast-forward to approx. 10 minutes in).

📺 

During the segment, the presenters highlighted how poor road conditions — from litter-strewn verges to deep potholes and debris — are one of the biggest frustrations for British drivers. Roadvlog’s data plays a central role in understanding and documenting these everyday experiences on UK roads.

The A50/A38 problem was first reported by Martin Burrows from Truckers Cleaning Up Britain - so thanks Martin!  Clean Up Britain made the award after reviewing the 5,500+ reports made within Roadvlog.

🚘 What Is Roadvlog?

Roadvlog is a simple, web-based roadside condition logging app that empowers passengers to report and rate the state of roadside verges and road surfaces as they travel. Using GPS-enabled logging, users can:

• 📍 Capture a photo of the roadside

• 🧰 Rate the condition (from clean to serious litter/debris)

• 📊 Submit a report in seconds

All reports are automatically logged with location and local authority — building a powerful, evidence-based dataset that helps campaigners and authorities understand where improvements are needed most.

🛣️ From Drivers to Data: Your Contributions Matter

Roadvlog wouldn’t exist without its active user base. Every submission — whether it’s litter on a country lane or erosion on an A-road embankment — adds to a growing dataset that drives awareness and supports real campaigns for cleaner, safer, and better-maintained roads.

In the Good Morning Britain feature, the importance of data and public feedback was emphasised as part of a wider conversation about road quality and driver frustration across the UK. With issues like potholes and poor verge conditions topping lists of motoring grievances, Roadvlog’s crowdsourced approach is more relevant than ever.

📈 Why It Matters

Britain’s road conditions continue to be a major talking point among drivers — from persistent potholes across local networks to stretches of highway that feel neglected or unsafe. Public reporting tools like Roadvlog shine a spotlight on these issues and provide an independent, data-driven perspective on what’s really happening out on the tarmac.

🧠 Get Involved

Have you spotted a road that needs reporting? Try Roadvlog now at roadvlog.uk and start logging reports today — every submission helps build a clearer picture of the UK’s road health.

Together, we’re turning everyday journeys into meaningful insights that can help influence better road maintenance and policy change.

Congratulations Dan - our new Development Manager

We have a new Development Manager here at Start Software - meet Dan Darkin.

Dan at his desk in our Telford software development office

Dan joined us an apprentice about 100 years ago (it feels like it, anyway!) and has shown determination, diligence, technical skills and an ability to work with clients, staff & suppliers.  Dan now manages the software development team and oversees our critical and largest software development projects.

It's been a pleasure to see Dan's continued personal development and his increasing contribution to the business.

Congratulations Dan - well deserved.