BBC News picks up the AI Litter Dashcam story for Clean Up Britain

Our Director, Robin Bennett, woke up to a flurry of messages from friends and family this morning as Clean Up Britain and the AI Litter Dashcam app featured prominently on BBC News. The article and accompanying video highlight how our technology is being used to tackle the growing litter crisis on the UK's road network.

Robin in a filthy layby seeing the problem at first hand

A Powerful Tool for Change

Developed and donated by Start Software, the app turns a standard smartphone into a sophisticated data-gathering tool. By using Artificial Intelligence to identify and grade litter, the app provides objective evidence of the state of our roadsides. As we recently discussed when testing the app with BBC Radio Shropshire, this data is essential for holding National Highways and local councils to account.

The BBC's Mark Elliott seeing the problem for himself

How the Technology Works

The app is remarkably simple for volunteers to use, requiring no downloads or registration. The software operates through a web browser, taking photos every ten seconds. The AI then grades the environment:

• Grade A: No litter present.
• Grade B: Small amounts of litter.
• Grade C: Widespread litter.
• Grade D: Heavily littered, appearing "filthy."

This automated process allows for thousands of reports to be generated weekly, as we previously highlighted when Clean Up Britain appeared on ITV's Good Morning Britain.

The result of litter not being collected by the responsible authority - and there is no bin!

Supporting Environmental Innovation

At Start Software, we are dedicated to using our expertise to solve complex problems. Whether it is building AI tools for the asbestos industry with Alpha Tracker UK or creating environmental monitoring apps, our goal remains the same: providing clear, actionable data.

If you are interested in joining a team that works on diverse and impactful projects, please take a look at our work with us page for current opportunities.

Clean Up Britain AI Litter Dashcam App on BBC Radio Shropshire

Our Director, Robin Bennett, recently spent time on the road with Mark Elliott from BBC Radio Shropshire to demonstrate the AI Litter Dashcam app. Developed and donated by Start Software to the Clean Up Britain campaign, this innovative tool is designed to highlight and quantify the litter crisis on our road network.

Robin outside the BBC Radio Shropshire studios

Testing the App on the A49 and A5

Robin and Mark drove along the A49 and A5 corridors around Shrewsbury to witness the litter problem firsthand and see the app in action. The technology is remarkably simple to use: drivers just mount their phone, open the web-based app, and select the "AI Dashcam" mode. The app then takes photos every 10 seconds, uses Artificial Intelligence to grade the litter, and automatically uploads the results—including the specific road name and the local authority or National Highways area responsible for its maintenance.

The AI Dashcam app in action, grading roadside litter in real-time

As we previously highlighted in our post Start Software's apps for Clean Up Britain appear on ITV's Good Morning Britain, this data is vital for informing national policy and holding the relevant authorities to account.

Shocking Local and National Statistics

During the drive, the extent of the problem in Shropshire became clear. While the app has already captured over 28,000 reports nationwide, the local data is particularly telling:

• In Shropshire, the app has captured over 3,000 reports.
• More than 250 of these are in the "C" and "D" categories—which represent unacceptable, "filthy" levels of litter under current legislation.
• Nationally, the database is growing by approximately 1,000 reports every single week.

Mark Elliott inspecting the volume of waste at a local layby

Could this be one of Shropshire's worst laybys for litter?

The Reality of Roadside Maintenance

One of the most frustrating sights during the trip was seeing a bin that had been recently emptied, yet the litter surrounding it had been completely ignored. This "Grade D" environment is exactly what the app is designed to track and report.

Evidence of partial cleaning: the bin is empty, but the ground remains covered

A "Grade D" report: the AI identifies this as an unacceptable level of pollution

How You Can Help

We are encouraging more drivers, particularly professional drivers who spend a lot of time on the road, to use the app. There is no need to register, no charge, and nothing to download. By contributing data, you help build a clearer picture of the UK's litter problem.

You can use the app today by visiting https://cleanupbritain.app.  Thanks so much, Mark, for your interest and interview.

The route map showing amber hotspots where unacceptable litter levels were recorded

At Start Software, we are proud to support environmental initiatives like this alongside our core work developing software such as Alpha Tracker UK for the asbestos and environmental consultancy industries.

PS for more information about the AI Litter Dashcam app, or how Robin's team built it for Clean Up Britain, watch https://youtu.be/hwrE_48eULk

PHP Incident and Alpha Tracker Security

The worldwide PHP incident is dominating the news coverage today, with the potential threat being so serious that websites around the world have been taken down.

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/news/critical-security-issue-affecting-php

We can confirm that Alpha Tracker is not affected by this incident. We are, however, currently applying an unrelated but important security patch to client systems. If we need to take your system offline to apply the patch, or need to involve your IT, we will be in touch to make the necessary arrangements.

As the PHP incident has shown, cyber security is extremely important and the potential impact of hackers using AI agents to exploit vulnerabilities is huge. At Alpha Tracker we take security very seriously and this is a good time to remind you of the sensible steps you can take to minimise your exposure to such threats:

• use complex passwords, change them regularly and don’t re-use them across systems
• keep your Windows and anti-virus software up-to-date, and apply security updates to all devices as and when they become available
• use multi-factor authentication (MFA) or Single Sign-On (SSO) wherever possible – Alpha Tracker supports both
• always use the latest version of Alpha Tracker.

Protecting Alpha Tracker and our clients' data remains a top priority for Start Software. We continually review and improve our security measures to help keep your systems safe and secure. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us in the UK or Australian/New Zealand.

(Security Advisories B-11535/B-11543) 

Dan attends the European EOS Conference in Birmingham

Our Development Manager, Dan, has been in Birmingham this week attending the European EOS Conference. As Start Software continues its journey with the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), the event provided a fantastic opportunity to gather new insights and share experiences with other business leaders.

Dan enjoying the EOS conference in Birmingham

Refining our EOS journey

We have been using EOS for some time now to help structure our growth and ensure we are delivering the best possible service to our Alpha Tracker UK and international clients. As we noted in our 20th-anniversary retrospective, we are constantly looking for ways to restructure and improve to ensure we remain a reliable partner for decades to come.

The conference, held at the European EOS Conference venue, featured a range of speakers including Gino Wickman, the creator of EOS, who shared his latest thinking on business mastery and leadership.

Gino Wickman sharing insights on the main stage

Practical takeaways for the team

One of the core strengths of EOS is its focus on practical, actionable tools. Dan spent the day exploring how we can further improve our "Rocks" (our 90-day priorities) and how to ensure our communication remains crystal clear as our team grows across the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

A useful reminder on the importance of regular 'Rock' checks

Just as refresher training for Alpha Tracker users helps consultancies stay productive, attending these leadership sessions ensures that our management team stays sharp and focused on the company's long-term vision.

The main stage provided a backdrop for networking between sessions

Looking ahead

It wasn't all serious business, however! The day concluded with some unexpected entertainment to wrap up a high-energy event. Dan is returning to the office with a notebook full of ideas to implement within our software development and support teams.

A fun surprise to end a productive day!

Exploring the conference exhibition

We are excited to weave these insights into our daily operations, helping us to build even better software and provide world-class support to our global user base.

Refresher training with Midlands Asbestos

Our Head of Training, Kim, has been back out on the road this week. She visited the team at Midlands Asbestos to deliver a series of refresher training sessions for their Alpha Tracker asbestos software.

Kim in the training room with the Midlands Asbestos team.

Keeping skills sharp

As we mentioned in our recent post about Kim delivering advanced training sessions, one of the challenges for established users is staying up to date with the latest features and efficiencies. Asbestos consultancies are busy environments, and it is easy for staff to fall into old habits rather than using the newest, most productive workflows.

During her time with Midlands Asbestos, Kim focused on ensuring the team were comfortable with their current processes while introducing them to new time-saving features in the system.

Reviewing Alpha Tracker workflows.

Optimising the workflow

Refresher training is a fantastic way to identify "quick wins" for a business. Kim works with clients to look at several key areas, such as:

• Are surveyors using the latest Alpha Tracker Mobile features to capture data more quickly on-site?
• Is the lab and reporting process as automated as possible?
• Could automated invoicing help the accounts team save hours of manual data entry?
• Are clients getting the best experience via the online client portal?

Refresher training helps teams get the most out of their software investment.

If your team could benefit from a "gap analysis" or a training top-up, please do get in touch with our support team. We would love to help you get the very best out of Alpha Tracker.

Start Software's 20th birthday - a week to remember

By Director Robin Bennett (& AI)
October 2026

Some of the memories from our Celebration Week

Editor’s Note: Twenty years ago, code was written line by line in Microsoft Access and Visual Basic 6. Today, we are deep into the era of agentic AI. It felt only fitting that this 20th-anniversary retrospective was drafted collaboratively by Robin and Start Software’s AI assistant, looking back across two decades of software, friendships, and global adventures.

On 20 September 2006, Start Software officially came into being.  That's 20 years ago.  People often say "I can't believe it is that long ago" when reflecting on a milestone like this, but actually it does feel like two decades have passed! The difference in our working methods then and the world of software development now is extraordinary.  

To mark our big birthday, we've just had a week of celebrations with colleagues travelling from Australia, Indonesia & Kosovo to the UK to meet, eat and talk about our history and our future.  The week's events included axe throwing (really), a two-day trip to Amsterdam for World Summit AI, and a visit to Anfield to watch Liverpool play Man City.  What a week.

We don't take any of our success or longevity for granted.  This is a family business, and all colleagues are treated like family.  We are grateful for every client who has chosen to spend money with us, and for all of the partnerships we've built and adventures we've had along the way.  Our new software platform (which will replace Alpha Tracker - do ask for a demo!) has its first trial users, and we have plans to restructure the business and build again to ensure we are here for our wonderful customers in 2036, 2046 and beyond.

Thanks again from everyone at Start Software.

Our Story

We began through an amicable split from our sister company Start Technology when I decided to start a dedicated software company and leave the hardware & networking side in the capable hands of James Guestford and Ian Groves.  Start Technology has been transformed into the absolute powerhouse that is now Start Tech (massive congrats, Ian & team). When we branched out on our own, we set up camp in Lasyard House in Bridgnorth, Shropshire with a simple mission: build reliable, bespoke software that genuinely solves operational headaches for businesses.

Where it all began: Lasyard House, Bridgnorth, 2006.

I'd been coding professionally since I'd been a teenager (with even a brief spell on TV explaining how the first home computers worked!). Back then, everything ran locally on Windows desktops. We built bespoke systems for logistics, manufacturing, and environmental consultancies, including our desktop "Tracker" software for asbestos surveyors. We were lucky to form partnerships with brilliant clients who believed in us from day one, including many clients who still use our services today, 20 years later.

The Cloud Leap: Alpha Tracker & Going Global

By 2011, the writing was on the wall: the world was moving to the web and mobile devices. We took a bold leap, rebuilding our core platform on Alpha Anywhere to create Alpha Tracker.

Surveyors could suddenly ditch the paper clipboards, capture data on tablets on site, and produce 200-page UKAS-accredited reports before they had even driven home.

Truly in the cloud: running Alpha Tracker at 39,000 feet on an Emirates A380 in 2013
 (somewhere between Dubai and the UK)

Alpha Tracker took us around the world. We welcomed Judy Key in Adelaide to lead our Australian and New Zealand operations, formed business partnerships in North America, and proved that a software house rooted in Shropshire could support critical operations on every continent — even at 39,000 feet on an Emirates flight with in-flight Wi-Fi!

Our links with Alpha Software, the creators of Alpha Anywhere, took us to the States, introduced us to businesses around the globe, and to some amazing people including the Rabins brothers and the inventor of the spreadsheet and coding legend, Dan Bricklin. 

OERCA, Clive Ponder & The CTT Family

Software is really about the people you build it with and the problems you solve together.

Through our partnership with Alpha Software users Mark and Todd in the US, we re-wrote OERCA — specialized animal record management and zoological welfare software now used in world-leading aquariums, marine parks, and wildlife centres across the globe.

OERCA: animal management and veterinary software protecting wildlife across the globe.

In May 2020, our story took another big step forward when business partners Clive Ponder and Bob Massey invested in Start Software, bringing us even closer to the CTT Group family. Clive was a force of nature - an entrepreneur with boundless energy, warmth, and ambition - and had been a business partner and friend of mine for decades. We lost Clive late in 2024, but his vision and generosity continue to inspire us every single day as we work alongside Andrew Houston, Bob and the wider CTT team.

Celebration Week: 10 Days, 5 Countries, 1 Family

To mark our 20th birthday, we decided to do something truly special. Between 3 and 13 October 2026, we brought our global team together in the UK and the Netherlands:

• Falah, Bonggo, and Ferry flew in from Indonesia.
• Fatbardh (and his wife Fortesa) travelled from Kosovo.
• Judy and family joined us from Adelaide, Australia.
• CTT's Alex and family member Connor joined us in the Netherlands.

This meant - for the first time - that almost the entire Start Software team was together in one place.  Tina, Leanne & Jaime were sent presents instead of attending - you were missed, and thank you for being part of our team.

Our custom 20th-anniversary T-shirt back, featuring cartoon avatars of the entire 17-strong team.

We spent days working together in our Telford e-Innovation Centre office, threw axes in Shrewsbury (congrats Jamie!), celebrated together over meals, and boarded the Eurostar and EasyJet for Amsterdam.

Nine of the Start Software team representing in our custom blue & gold 20th-birthday shirts at World Summit AI 2026, Amsterdam.

Nine of us attended World Summit AI 2026 at the Taets Art and Event Park — immersing ourselves in the very latest frontier models, autonomous agents, and AI engineering that are already shaping the next generation of our software.

To round off an unforgettable 10 days, 12 of us headed to Anfield on Sunday to watch Liverpool take on Manchester City from the Brodies Lounge, before one final late-night table football tournament at the Knowsley Inn.

Liverpool v Manchester City at Anfield: 12 of the Start Software team in Brodies Lounge for the grand finale.

Looking Forward to the Next 20 Years

From a desktop MS Access database in Bridgnorth in 2006 to cloud platforms running across Australia, New Zealand, and the US, and now to full-stack, AI-driven applications built in weeks rather than years - technology changes beyond recognition.

Our 2026 offices at the e-Innovation Centre

What hasn't changed is the ethos: look after your clients, invest in your team, stay curious, and enjoy the ride.

Thank you to every client, colleague, partner, family member, and friend who has been part of our first 20 years. Here’s to the next chapter!

Celebrating 20 years of Start Software—and looking ahead at World Summit AI!

What better way to celebrate 20 years of Start Software than a trip to explore what the next few years might bring?  We're having a full week of celebrations and events to mark our 20th birthday (watch out for another blog post next week), starting with a trip abroad for some of our team.

Our team headed to World Summit AI in Amsterdam (@WorldSummitAI #WSAI) this week, swapping our usual surroundings for conference stages, demonstrations and a chance to explore the latest developments in artificial intelligence.

And we certainly made ourselves easy to spot!

The Start Software team at World Summit AI, sporting our special 20th anniversary T-shirts

AI is already an important part of how we work at Start. We use it to help develop software, explore ideas and improve customer support.  AI is being used within Alpha Tracker now and customers are using AI to work with Alpha Tracker.  Taking time together to see what’s happening across the wider industry helps us think about where we can take that work next.

A packed auditorium at World Summit AI—plenty of interest in where AI is heading!

For our customers, the opportunities are practical: reducing repetitive tasks, making information easier to find and giving people more time to do the work that needs their expertise.

Our own AI-powered Helpdesk is one example. It helps us resolve queries more quickly and flag recurring problems, so we can track whether their underlying causes have actually been addressed.

Of course, with a team of software developers at a technology conference, the laptops were never going to stay closed for long…

There’s always time to open a laptop—even between conference sessions! Dan & Judy featured

The visit was also a chance to get the team together - from the UK, Australia, Indonesia and Kosovo, share ideas and look beyond our day-to-day projects. This unusual view captures the gathering rather well!

A different perspective on the team—and a memorable photo from our Amsterdam visit.

And then there were the robots. A humanoid robot with its robot dog companion is certainly a change from the people you normally meet at a software conference!  Physical AI was a big topic at the conference showing how far the AI world has come over the last decade.

Twenty years ago, we began building software to help people run their businesses. The tools available to us have changed enormously, but that purpose remains the same.

Here’s to bringing fresh ideas into our next chapter—and perhaps leaving the robot dog in Amsterdam for now!

PS This was the back of our celebration t-shirts...

All smiles (nearly) at NORAC! Kim & Jamie are ready to talk Alpha Tracker and our new software platform... codename "Elements"

Kim & Jamie are at the NORAC Conference in Manchester today, and their photos give us a little flavour of the day: a room full of asbestos professionals, our Alpha Tracker stand ready for visitors, and two smiling faces (well, one... that's as close as we get to a smile from Jamie!).

Kim & Jamie

As we mentioned in yesterday’s post, they’re there to answer your Alpha Tracker questions, hear your ideas and give you a look at our brand new software platform.

Kim at the Alpha Tracker stand — coffee and chocolates at the ready!

Whether you already use Alpha Tracker in your asbestos consultancy or want to find out how it could help your consultancy, pop over for a chat. Bring along that “how do I…?” question, tell us about a task you’d love to make easier, or ask for a quick demonstration. Kim & Jamie can also arrange a longer live demo for you in October.

Delegates gathering in the conference room

Events like NORAC are a valuable chance to listen to the people using our software and hear about the challenges facing asbestos consultancies. Those conversations help shape what we develop next.

If you’re at NORAC today, come and say hello — and don’t leave without asking to see what’s new!

Support Desk Performance: September 2026

Our Support Desk team solved 881 support requests during September 2026. This represents a return to typical volume following the quieter month of August, and is consistent with the number of tickets resolved in the same period last year.

Across the Start Software product family—including Alpha Tracker, Greenfield, and ecoScribe—we completed 89.78% of all requests within their target response and resolution times. For high-priority requests, this figure was 94.19%.

Our year-to-date performance is as follows:

• 8,076 total requests solved.
• 7,433 completed within target response and resolution times.
• 1,423 high-priority requests completed within target times.

Compared with August, the team handled a significantly higher workload, resolving 141 more requests than the previous month. Despite this increase in volume, our efficiency improved, with the percentage of requests completed on time rising from 87.28% to 89.78%.

The majority of requests this month related to Alpha Tracker, which accounted for 629 of the solved tickets. We also saw steady activity across our other products, including Greenfield. From a regional perspective, the UK desk handled 695 requests, while our Australia and New Zealand teams resolved 174.

The most common themes for support this month involved data queries and server disk space management. We have also focused on document production queries and addressing software bugs identified during use. Our team added 13 new articles to the knowledge base this month to assist with self-service and identified 106 further opportunities to improve our documentation and automated help systems.

We would like to thank our Support Desk team for their hard work during a busy month and our customers for their continued feedback and cooperation.

If you require technical assistance, please contact the Support Desk in the usual way or visit our support page: Start Software support.

Heading to NORAC? Look out for Kim & Jamie from Alpha Tracker!

Kim and Jamie are heading to the NORAC Conference tomorrow, Thursday 1 October, at the Manchester Marriott Victoria & Albert Hotel. If you’re going too, make sure you say hello!

Jamie & Kim at NORAC 2026

Whether you’re already an Alpha Tracker user or simply curious about what our software could do for your asbestos consultancy, they’d love to chat.

Ask them anything about Alpha Tracker. Bring your questions, share your ideas, or tell them about that everyday task you’d love to make easier. It’s a great opportunity to talk through how you work and what you need from your software.

And if you’d like a sneak peek at what’s new, ask Kim and Jamie to show you our brand new software platform! We’re excited to give you a look and hear what you think.  They can also book you in for a live demo in October.

We always enjoy catching up with clients and meeting new people from across the asbestos industry. Those conversations help us understand your challenges and shape what we develop next.

See you at NORAC — and don’t be shy about asking for a demo!

AI and Alpha Anywhere: Robin shares practical tips in latest Alpha Software webinar

Can AI help you understand an unfamiliar Alpha Anywhere component, improve your Xbasic code or check the design of a running application?

Start Software’s Robin Bennett has just presented a webinar with Alpha Software showing how to put AI to work on real Alpha Anywhere projects. The recording will be available on YouTube in a few days, so keep an eye out if you missed the live session.

Robin ready to present

Robin started with a look back at his June 2023 webinar, in which he demonstrated creating a universal database generator with ChatGPT and Alpha Anywhere.

Three years ago! Back when Alpha webinars were 50 minutes long and we were experimenting with free AI tools. These days, Start Software’s monthly AI spend runs into four figures — a reflection of how much these tools have become part of our everyday work.

Robin even wondered whether that early demonstration meant he could claim to have invented “vibe coding”. We’ll leave that debate to the historians!

This time, the focus was on practical ways Alpha developers can use AI, including:

• Planning an application: turning an idea into suggested screens and a database structure, using a travel and memories app for a 30th wedding anniversary as an example.

• Improving Xbasic: asking AI to review code, suggest optimisations and help investigate errors, including errors supplied as screenshots.

• Reviewing API code: exploring improvements to an existing REST API, including authorisation with a separate API key for each operation.

• Understanding a component: supplying an Alpha Anywhere UX component saved in JSON format and asking AI to explain its behaviour and identify possible bugs.

• Checking design consistency: using ChatGPT’s agent capabilities to navigate a web application and review its screens.

These are useful starting points for anyone maintaining or developing an Alpha application. AI can help you investigate unfamiliar code, explore an idea and spot things that deserve closer attention. Developer review and testing remain essential.

At Start Software, that work builds on experience with Alpha Anywhere stretching back to 2011. We develop and support business applications worldwide, working across Alpha Anywhere, Alpha TransForm and Alpha Cloud.

UPDATE: The webinar is now on YouTube for you to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqxx2qGed9E

Microsoft Edge fix released for Alpha Tracker browser issue

Good news for Alpha Tracker users affected by the recent browser issue: Microsoft has released a fix in Microsoft Edge version 153.0.4234.48. The issue could cause Alpha Tracker to become unresponsive or stop responding to clicks.

If you use Edge, enter edge://settings/help in the address bar to check for updates. Install any available update and restart Edge to complete it. If your organisation manages browser updates centrally, your IT team may need to make the update available.

Google Chrome’s fix was already available when we first reported the issue. If Alpha Tracker still becomes unresponsive after updating and restarting your browser, please contact Alpha Tracker Support so we can investigate.

Temporary Support Arrangements for Australia & New Zealand

We wanted to let our Australian and New Zealand Alpha Tracker clients know about a temporary change to our usual support arrangements from Tuesday 22 September to Monday 12 October.

Judy is on her travels - we're still here to support you 24x7

Judy will be travelling during this period. She will still be working, but not from her normal timezone, so Jaime in our Adelaide office will be taking the lead on day-to-day support for our Australian and New Zealand clients, supported by our wider overseas support team.

Please continue to contact us as normal

There is no change to how you should get in touch with Alpha Tracker Support:

Email: support@alpha-tracker.com.au
Call: 1300 946 130

Our support service will continue to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and all calls will be answered as usual.

During this temporary period, we would ask clients to allow for slightly longer resolution times than normal in some cases, particularly where an issue needs input from a particular member of the team.

Jaime and the wider support team will be working together to make sure queries continue to be handled promptly and that any urgent issues receive the attention they need.

Judy will return to her normal working arrangements from Tuesday 13 October, at which point our usual Australia and New Zealand support arrangements will resume.

Thank you for your understanding, and as always, please don't hesitate to contact the support team if you need us.

Recent Edge and Chrome updates may cause Alpha Tracker to become unresponsive

We are aware of a browser issue that may cause Alpha Tracker to become unresponsive or stop responding to mouse clicks for some users.

Microsoft has confirmed a known issue affecting Microsoft Edge version 153. The issue can cause web applications to become unresponsive during normal use. Because the problem originates in the Chromium browser technology, it has also affected Google Chrome version 153.

Check and update your browser

Enter the appropriate address below into your browser’s address bar:

• Microsoft Edge: edge://settings/help
• Google Chrome: chrome://settings/help

Google has released an updated version of Chrome containing a fix. Chrome users should install all available updates and then restart the browser.

A fix for Microsoft Edge is still pending.

Recommended workaround for Edge users

If Alpha Tracker becomes unresponsive while using Microsoft Edge:

• Refresh the page or restart Edge. This may restore access temporarily.
• Temporarily use the latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.
• Contact your IT team or Alpha Tracker Support for advice if you cannot use another browser.

Organisations managing Edge centrally may also consider temporarily returning affected users to Edge version 152 until Microsoft releases the fix. Browser rollbacks should be performed by your IT administrator.

This is a confirmed browser-related issue rather than a fault within Alpha Tracker. We are monitoring the situation and will provide further guidance when Microsoft releases an updated version of Edge.

For further technical information, see Microsoft Edge known issues.

Welcome to the Alpha Tracker Family, Tetra Tech!

We’re delighted to welcome Tetra Tech as the latest UK consultancy to join the Alpha Tracker family.

Tetra Tech is a major technical, engineering and environmental consultancy, with more than 6,000 employees across its UK, Ireland and Netherlands operations and a much wider global presence.

Their UK health, safety and compliance teams have extensive expertise across areas that are particularly close to home for us at Alpha Tracker, including fire safety, asbestos management and legionella/water quality. Their services range from fire risk assessment and fire engineering through to asbestos and legionella consultancy and accredited training.

So, naturally, we’re very pleased that Alpha Tracker will now be supporting the Tetra Tech team in managing this work.

Training Underway

The project has now reached another important milestone, with Tetra Tech completing their first Alpha Tracker training session with Kim from the Start Software team.

Some of the photos from the first training session

As the photos show, it was very much a hands-on session — phones out, screens up and plenty of discussion around how Alpha Tracker will work in practice for the team.

For us, those first training sessions are always an exciting point in a new implementation. The software starts moving from being a project into something people will actually be using every day.

Another Major Consultancy Chooses Alpha Tracker

It’s particularly satisfying to see another multidisciplinary UK consultancy choosing Alpha Tracker to help manage its compliance work.

Alpha Tracker has been developed specifically around the workflows of asbestos, legionella/water hygiene and fire consultancies, bringing surveying, scheduling, field data collection, reporting and management information together in one system.

We’re looking forward to working with the Tetra Tech team as their implementation progresses and seeing Alpha Tracker put to work across another leading UK consultancy.

Welcome aboard, Tetra Tech!

And a big thank you to everyone involved in the first training session — particularly Kim for getting the team off to a great start.

Are you an asbestos lab? We may have new work for you - get in touch

Do you run a UK asbestos laboratory using Alpha Tracker?

We have a new Alpha Tracker asbestos consultancy wanting to connect

We’ve recently welcomed a large UK asbestos consultancy to Alpha Tracker, and they’re looking to connect with asbestos laboratories around the country who also use our software.

They have laboratory analysis work available and are keen to speak to potential lab partners, so this could be a great opportunity to pick up some additional business.

If you’re interested, please get in touch with Zac Marshall at zac.marshall@start-software.com and we’ll be very happy to make an introduction.

It’s always good to see Alpha Tracker customers working together!

Why Your Email Account Is More Valuable Than You Think

We recently listened to an interesting episode of BBC Radio 4’s Scam Secrets – The Power of Your Email – and it’s a useful reminder of just how valuable access to an email account can be to criminals.

The BBC "Scam Secrets" series is full of useful cybersecurity advice

For many of us, email sits at the centre of our digital lives. If someone gains access to your inbox, they may be able to reset passwords for other services, discover where you bank or shop, and learn a surprising amount about your personal and professional life.

The programme highlights some particularly worrying examples. Fraudsters have been known to monitor property transactions, waiting for the right moment to impersonate a solicitor and provide alternative bank details for a house-sale payment. Because they have access to the email account, they can potentially delete messages as well, making their activity much harder to spot.

Passwords Aren’t Enough

One of the key messages from the programme is that we need to move beyond relying solely on passwords.

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) increasingly recommends stronger authentication methods, and passkeys are becoming an important part of that change. Passkeys are designed to be both easier to use and much harder for criminals to steal or trick you into revealing.

It’s also worth reviewing account recovery options. Traditional security questions such as “What was the name of your first pet?” can often be guessed, researched through social media or discovered from other compromised information.

A Few Minutes Well Spent

It’s worth taking a few minutes to check the security of your most important email accounts:

• Enable multi-factor authentication if you haven’t already.

• Use a passkey where your email provider supports one.

• Review the recovery email addresses and phone numbers associated with your account.

• Remove weak or outdated security questions where possible.

• Check for unfamiliar forwarding rules or login activity.

Email security isn’t simply about protecting your messages. Your inbox can effectively be the master key to many of your other online accounts.

The BBC programme is well worth a listen:

BBC Radio 4 – Scam Secrets: The Power of Your Email
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0030yr5

Beyond the Support Ticket: Using AI to Fix Problems at Their Source

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-powered Helpdesk system

Resolving a customer's immediate problem is obviously important. But sometimes that ticket is a symptom of something else.

Perhaps several customers have encountered variations of the same issue. Perhaps a process is unnecessarily confusing. Perhaps there's something in Alpha Tracker that could be improved so that the question simply doesn't arise again.

Our new system helps us identify those patterns.

Rather than treating every support request as an isolated event, it can help flag tickets that may warrant a Root Cause Analysis. We can then investigate the underlying issue, decide what needs to change and — importantly — track that work through to completion.

That last part matters.

It's very easy to say "we ought to fix that properly". It's rather more useful to have a system which makes sure somebody actually does.

Turning support into product improvement

Our new Root Cause Analysis dashboard is already giving us a different perspective on the workload coming into the helpdesk.

It currently identifies around 83 support tickets per month as potentially preventable through the root-cause work already under way. We've also recorded 56 problems fixed at source.

That might mean a software change, an improvement to documentation, a change to a process or another permanent resolution.

The goal is simple: don't just answer the question more quickly — remove the reason for somebody having to ask it again.

AI is particularly useful here because of the volume of information involved. Humans are very good at investigating an individual issue, but spotting recurring themes across hundreds of support conversations is exactly the sort of task where AI can provide some additional help.

The decisions remain with our team, of course. The AI helps us find the patterns; our support and development teams decide what they mean and what we should do about them.

August's support figures

For completeness, here are our latest results:

Month	Problems resolved on time	High-priority resolved on time	Problems solved
March	92.67%	97.93%	996
April	93.21%	97.92%	869
May	94.27%	96.07%	803
June	94.43%	98.33%	952
July	93.18%	97.41%	982
August	87.20%	95.20%	742

Across those six months, the team has resolved 5,344 support problems.

August's overall result isn't where we'd like it to be, and we'll be working to bring that back up as the holiday period comes to an end.

At the same time, though, we're increasingly measuring support success in another way too: how many future problems can we prevent?

If our new helpdesk helps us answer today's support ticket faster, that's good.

If it helps make sure tomorrow's support ticket never happens at all, that's even better.

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.

We've built and demonstrated tools that can analyse photographs, examine information about buildings, extract information from documents and help with report quality control.

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!

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.

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.

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.