Every month, we publish our Alpha Tracker support statistics as part of our general Support Desk update. We do this because we think customers should be able to see how we're performing — including the months when the figures aren't quite as strong as we'd like. August was one of those months. During August, 87.20% of support problems were resolved within our target time , compared with 93.18% in July. Summer holidays inevitably had an impact on the team, although we're pleased that 95.20% of our high-priority problems were still resolved on time . But this month, we'd like to talk about something a little more interesting than percentages. What if the best support ticket is one that never needs to be raised? Over recent months we've been developing our own AI-powered Helpdesk system , and one of the areas we're particularly excited about is its ability to help us look beyond individual support tickets. Our Root Cause Analysis stats in our new AI...
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Six ways to use AI with Alpha Tracker
AI is changing the way we use business software.
Until recently, most software worked in a fairly predictable way. You logged in, found the right screen, entered some information, clicked some buttons and ran a report.
AI gives us some completely new possibilities.
What if you could simply ask questions about your Alpha Tracker data?
What if you could build a small app for your business, working alongside Alpha Tracker and connected to your Alpha Tracker data, without employing a development team?
What if an AI agent could take care of some of those repetitive Alpha Tracker admin jobs?
What if AI could check your data and reports before they reached your clients?
These aren't just theoretical ideas. They're things we're already experimenting with and - more importantly - so are you, our wonderful Alpha Tracker users. You've shared so many of your ideas, prototypes and plans with us - and we're as excited as you!
We've added a new Using AI with Alpha Tracker section to our Integrations page, looking at six ways Alpha Tracker users can start taking advantage of AI.
1. Build your own apps
Tools such as Lovable, Bolt.new and Replit are making it surprisingly easy to build web applications using AI.
This is sometimes called "vibe coding".
Because Alpha Tracker has an API, there's an interesting opportunity here. You can build your own specialist dashboard, internal tool, client application or workflow and connect it securely to the data held in Alpha Tracker.
Alpha Tracker remains your core business system, but you aren't restricted to the screens and tools that we build.
That's a big change.
2. Talk to your data
Alpha Tracker contains an enormous amount of information about your business.
Projects. Quotes. Clients. Sites. Surveyors. Appointments. Turnaround times. Invoices. Results. Reports.
Traditionally, getting answers from that data has involved reports, Excel, Power BI or perhaps a database query.
AI adds another possibility.
Imagine asking:
"Which clients have placed fewer orders with us this year?"
or:
"Which projects have been open for more than 30 days?"
or even:
"Summarise our performance this month and tell me anything unusual."
We believe that the data in Alpha Tracker is your data, and we're looking at ways of making it easier to use safely with modern AI analysis tools.
3. Use our AI tools
We've spent much of 2026 experimenting with AI ourselves.
Some will remain experiments.
Some ideas won't work as well as we hoped.
And some will become genuinely useful features within Alpha Tracker.
That's exactly how we think AI development should work: experiment quickly, find the things that provide real value and then turn the best ideas into useful tools.
You can see some of our latest experiments on our AI Tools page.
4. Give some work to an AI agent
This is where things get particularly interesting.
An AI agent doesn't just answer questions. With the right permissions, it can actually do things.
For example, an agent connected to Alpha Tracker might be able to:
add a purchase order number to a quotation
turn a won quotation into a project
find outstanding work
update project information
find an available surveyor
book an appointment
close completed jobs
Instead of learning which screen to use and which buttons to press, you might simply tell your AI agent what you want done.
Naturally, security and control are essential. Agents should only be able to access the information and functions they have been authorised to use, with human approval where appropriate.
Our prototype Tracker Agent product can do all of this and more - and it's ready to demonstrate.
5. Let AI help with QC
Quality control is hugely important to Alpha Tracker users.
Your reputation depends on the quality of the information you collect and the reports you issue.
AI can provide another pair of eyes.
It can potentially look for missing information, inconsistencies, unusual values, contradictory answers and other things that might deserve a closer look.
We see AI-powered QC as a first-pass check, supporting your technical team rather than replacing professional judgement.
If AI can spot an issue before a report reaches your client, that's a very practical use of the technology.
6. What haven't we thought of yet?
This might be the most important one.
We know Alpha Tracker extremely well.
You know your business extremely well.
There will almost certainly be opportunities to use AI that neither of us has considered yet.
Think about the repetitive jobs in your business.
The spreadsheets people keep updating.
The emails somebody has to read.
The information somebody has to copy from one place to another.
The reports somebody has to check.
The questions managers repeatedly ask.
Could AI help?
We're very happy to explore ideas with Alpha Tracker users.
Take a look
We've added all six areas to our Using AI with Alpha Tracker section on the Alpha Tracker Integrations page.
If something sparks an idea, get in touch.
You might already have the next Alpha Tracker AI feature sitting in your business, waiting to be discovered.
There's still time to donate for Cancer Research UK
The Telford team have just received their medal from Cancer Research UK, what a lovely surprise!
It was some feat to cycle 300 miles in one day as a group, and you can still how we did it here https://blog.start-software.com/2026/07/we-made-it-300-miles-in-one-day-for.html
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| We'll put the medal on our (small) trophy shelf! |
It was some feat to cycle 300 miles in one day as a group, and you can still how we did it here https://blog.start-software.com/2026/07/we-made-it-300-miles-in-one-day-for.html
If you were thinking of donating to this vital cause, but hadn't got round to it, please do - there's still time. Click here and follow the instructions, thank you! https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/robins-giving-page-2044
AI, Integrations, APIs, MCP Servers... we're striving to make Alpha Tracker even more open, connected, and accessible for our consultancy clients
Over the last week, we've had countless conversations with asbestos consultancies and water hygiene businesses wanting to make more of the data we store for them in Alpha Tracker.
Our focus now is on making it easier for you to integrate AI agents with your data. We are using AI ourselves as we build the next generation of Alpha Tracker and related products and we know that many consultancy clients are also exploring the world of AI to improve productivity.
We've always had a basic principle (which you can read on our website): data in Alpha Tracker is your data, stored in our database. We've always tried hard to open up the system (securely, naturally) so that you have the right access to your data from wherever you need it.
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| Read about the Alpha Tracker integrations |
Our focus now is on making it easier for you to integrate AI agents with your data. We are using AI ourselves as we build the next generation of Alpha Tracker and related products and we know that many consultancy clients are also exploring the world of AI to improve productivity.
Want to know more about our AI plans? Get in touch with Jack or Robin.
Isn't the summer supposed to be a quiet time for business? Two Alpha Tracker orders received - it's a hot week!
Things are heating up at Alpha Tracker!
It’s hot out there. And, as it happens, things are getting pretty hot here at Alpha Tracker too!
The UK is in the middle of another spell of exceptionally hot weather, with this summer already delivering repeated heatwaves. Yesterday, 13 August, temperatures reached a provisional 38.1°C at Kew Gardens, making it the hottest day of 2026 so far.
Meanwhile, our own thermometer seems to be heading in the same direction.
We’ve just received two new Alpha Tracker orders, and at the same time we’re seeing a really healthy flow of new enquiries from organisations looking at how Alpha Tracker can help them manage asbestos, water hygiene, fire risk and other compliance work.
It’s always exciting to welcome new customers, but it’s particularly encouraging to see so many new conversations starting at the same time.
There is a lot happening with Alpha Tracker at the moment. We’re continuing to develop the current system, helping customers get more from the software they already use, while also working towards the next generation of Alpha Tracker technology.
And judging by the number of organisations currently talking to us, there is plenty more to come.
So, while the rest of the country searches for shade, cold drinks and somewhere near an air-conditioning unit, the Alpha Tracker team will be keeping busy.
Two new orders, lots of new enquiries and plenty happening behind the scenes.
It really is turning into a hot summer for Alpha Tracker.
A huge thank you, as always, to our customers, partners and everyone recommending Alpha Tracker to others.
Client visit for Catherine - on the other side of the world!
Catherine took a day out of her family holiday to visit an important Australian user of asbestos software Alpha Tracker.
Monash University in Melbourne has complex needs for asbestos software, both internally and for their contractors. Judy and her team have been working with Monash to ensure that Alpha Tracker is customised to suit their requirements, and she has built a strong working relationship with the Monash team.
The UK Alpha Tracker team - Jack & Catherine in particular - have been supporting Judy and have come to know the Monash project team, too. During her holiday "down under", Catherine was able to visit Monash and Director Theresa to catch up and ensure that all priorities are known and understood. Judy - full of cold - joined remotely.
Lovely picture Theresa, Catherine & Judy! Thanks Theresa for your hospitality, it was great for Catherine to catch up in person.
Alpha Tracker Support Desk Update: July 2026
Our Support Desk team solved 982 support requests during July, making it our second-busiest month of 2026 so far.
Despite the high volume of enquiries, 93.18% of all requests were completed within their target response and resolution times. For high-priority requests, the figure was even stronger, with 97.41% completed on time.
During the first six months covered by our latest figures, the team has now:
Solved 5,528 support requests
Completed 5,159 requests within their target times
Completed 985 high-priority requests within their target times
July’s overall performance was slightly below June’s figure of 94.43%, but the team continued to provide a consistently high standard of support while handling nearly 1,000 completed requests.
Thank you, as always, to our Support Desk team for their hard work, and to our customers for the positive feedback, patience and cooperation they give us.
If you need help with Alpha Tracker, please contact our Support Desk (UK or Aus/NZ) in the usual way. We are always happy to help.