We've had the accounts finalised for our financial year ending Sept 2014 and the outcome was a good one. In fact, it's our best year yet.
Turnover is up 30% and net profit has more than doubled. We're still a relatively small business but the satisfying thing is that we continue to grow, our customer base is stable and loyal, and many of the customers we first met more than 15 years ago are still customers today.
Our technology has changed beyond recognition. Virtually all of the software systems we have developed this year have been "apps" and not traditional desktop systems, for example, and our latest asbestos software system Alpha Tracker uses state-of-the-art web technology from Alpha Software but our commitment to customer service and "doing the right thing" remains constant. We know we're not perfect, but we do our best.
Thanks so much for your continued support and business, we really do appreciate it.
Posts
Alpha Tracker major performance improvements in beta test
We're working with the developers at Alpha Software to test an exciting new system option which will be of benefit to the largest Alpha Tracker asbestos consultancy clients.
Currently, we use the in-built Alpha "App Server" software to make our software available to laptops, PCs and tablets. Very soon, we will also be able to offer the option of running Alpha Tracker via the Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) system. This is a standard feature of Windows servers and should enable our software to support approximately three times more users per server and enable many parts of the system to run twice as fast.
We're testing this development now and will post more news to the blog as and when we have it.
Currently, we use the in-built Alpha "App Server" software to make our software available to laptops, PCs and tablets. Very soon, we will also be able to offer the option of running Alpha Tracker via the Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) system. This is a standard feature of Windows servers and should enable our software to support approximately three times more users per server and enable many parts of the system to run twice as fast.
We're testing this development now and will post more news to the blog as and when we have it.
May patch for Alpha Tracker in final testing
We're releasing a small "patch" for the April/May update to Alpha Tracker, our software for asbestos consultancies.
The patch fixes a couple of bugs and also introduces some new features,too.
We'll carry on testing early next week and blog again when it is ready to download and install.
The patch fixes a couple of bugs and also introduces some new features,too.
We'll carry on testing early next week and blog again when it is ready to download and install.
Alpha Tracker Document Maker update released (v1.4.530 SVN96)
The latest version of Alpha Tracker Document Maker has been released and is available for immediate download.
This update - v1.4.530 SVN96 - will be popular with asbestos consultancies who need to be able to produce asbestos reports from Alpha Tracker for single buildings only (and where the Alpha Tracker project relates to many buildings and not just a single site).
Please do contact the Start Software support desk if you need assistance applying the update.
This update - v1.4.530 SVN96 - will be popular with asbestos consultancies who need to be able to produce asbestos reports from Alpha Tracker for single buildings only (and where the Alpha Tracker project relates to many buildings and not just a single site).
Please do contact the Start Software support desk if you need assistance applying the update.
The April/May 2015 update to Alpha Tracker is now available (SVN1400)
April/May 2015's monthly update to Alpha Tracker is now publicly available. This is update SVN1400 with 100 new features and bug fixes! Many of these updates will be of particular interest to asbestos surveyors and asbestos consultants using Alpha Tracker to run their asbestos consultancy.
Here is a YouTube video which runs through 10 of the most useful improvements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Tq9pxwiOV0
The April/May combined update has 100 new features, improvements and bug fixes to the software since the Feb/March update.
All new features are fully documented in both the release notes and updated User Guides.
In the video above you can see 10 of the most useful or important changes we have made. For full details, see the release notes at the bottom of the Alpha Tracker product page.
The update is ready to download and install through the Setup|System|Software Updates button. If you need help to run the update, please do contact the support desk.
Here is a YouTube video which runs through 10 of the most useful improvements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Tq9pxwiOV0
The April/May combined update has 100 new features, improvements and bug fixes to the software since the Feb/March update.
All new features are fully documented in both the release notes and updated User Guides.
In the video above you can see 10 of the most useful or important changes we have made. For full details, see the release notes at the bottom of the Alpha Tracker product page.
The update is ready to download and install through the Setup|System|Software Updates button. If you need help to run the update, please do contact the support desk.
Alpha Tracker Document Maker update available (v1.4.524 SVN94)
The latest version of Alpha Tracker's document generation module, Alpha Tracker Document Maker, is now available for download.
This release, v1.4.524 SVN94, has improved Excel spreadsheet generation facilities.
Please contact the support desk if you need help to download and update your system.
This release, v1.4.524 SVN94, has improved Excel spreadsheet generation facilities.
Please contact the support desk if you need help to download and update your system.
Start Software Support Stats - big improvement in May
In last month's blog, I promised to update you in early June regarding our support desk performance and whether the unusually poor performance in April was resolved.
I'm very pleased to say that it has been! We are back to normal levels of performance with 96% of high priority calls being responded to in the timescales set by our customers and 87% of all calls.
I'm very pleased to say that it has been! We are back to normal levels of performance with 96% of high priority calls being responded to in the timescales set by our customers and 87% of all calls.
AlphaValidator update available (v1.0.65 SVN22)
We have just released an update to our AlphaValidator module and it is now available to download.
AlphaValidator checks asbestos data within Alpha Tracker (data sent in by asbestos surveyors and consultants from Tracker Mobile) before the production of an asbestos report.
The latest update has a new check - check "P" - to validate location numbers and names and to check that none have been repeated or duplicated.
If you need any help to update your system, please contact the office.
AlphaValidator checks asbestos data within Alpha Tracker (data sent in by asbestos surveyors and consultants from Tracker Mobile) before the production of an asbestos report.
The latest update has a new check - check "P" - to validate location numbers and names and to check that none have been repeated or duplicated.
If you need any help to update your system, please contact the office.
Another Mobile Data beta update
Further to last week's post (see http://robinbennett.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/important-mobile-data-update-in-beta.html), the very latest beta of Mobile Data now has the ability to filter data as well as sort it within the Data Window.
Again, please don't update your own systems just yet as we are running our own tests first.
Again, please don't update your own systems just yet as we are running our own tests first.