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Start Software is an award-winning developer and leading publisher of asbestos software, systems for the legal services industry and more.
Want to know more about asbestos software Alpha Tracker? Alpha Tracker is the most used asbestos software in the UK, Australia & New Zealand with more than 60m items of asbestos data stored.
Our legal services software Alpha Legal helps will writers, accountants, solicitors, IFAs and estate agents to communicate securely with clients. Read about developments here on the blog.
We are pleased to say that the beta version of Alpha TrackerRelease 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.
They say a watched kettle never boils. At the end of Robin's week working and helping Andrew Bedwell prepare his tiny boat "Big C v2" to cross the Atlantic, it was starting to feel like a watched boat would never sail, either! The wind never behaved and so the week was spent preparing the boat and testing equipment, not watching Andrew head off east.
Petty Harbour with Big C V2's crate
The first logistical challenge was to find Big C. The logistics company knew that the boat was in Newfoundland, but not exactly where and so it took half the week to get the boat (still in its packing crate) to the quayside at Petty Harbour. The boat then had to be uncrated, and hauled upright so that Andrew could continue to fit and test equipment inside.
Andrew starting the uncrating
Heave! We got it upright thanks to the help of several locals
Andrew could set of now at any time - he just needs a few days of the wind being in his favour. Please do support him if you can (scan the QR code - easy) and donate, too. Cancer Research is such an important charity - thanks for all your support and encouragement.
And finally... this is the food that Andrew will be eating each and every day for 90+ days... minced up beefy jerky, raisins and fat. It's calorie-packed and will also help to line and insulate the boat through the coldest seas. And, yes, Robin did try it...
We've got a special guest joining us on Monday's Alpha Tracker "Office Hours" session. We've been running "Office Hours" sessions this year so that any Alpha Tracker user can drop in and ask anything they want - it's informal, not recorded, and cameras-on!
On Monday's session, we've got Richard Blunt dropping by from Mesothelioma UK, our company-supported charity. We've got plans to add features into Alpha Tracker to help Meso UK raise vital funds without adding extra admin to any process... and your ideas will be welcome!
Join Kim & Zac to chat Alpha Tracker
On this month's drop-in webinar, Kim & Zac will be talking about asbestos and water report templates and document production. If you're interested in improving your reports, adding maps or charts, losing your report "queue" or just want to talk about how reports are produced, this is the session for you. We'll also be talking about our new Alpha Tracker AI tools in case you haven't tried them yet.
Andrew thinking about the challenges that lie ahead
Start Software is sponsoring Andrew as he tries to bring the record back to the UK and raise money for Cancer Research along the way. Several of the Start team have been affected by cancer, and so this is a cause very close to our hearts.
Our director Robin met Andrew at the Anderton Boat Lift visitor centre yesterday to check his tech and the app we have built for him and his followers: https://big-c-atlantic-challenge.app/
Andrew & Robin with the satellite link on the desk
Andrew will be sending messages back to the Start team so that the app can be updated. He'll be using the Alpha TransForm app which is tuned for low data bandwidth environments: https://www.alphasoftware.com/alpha-transform-overview.
Alpha TransForm in action
Please do register to follow Andrew's incredible voyage and to learn more about him and his endurance and determination. You can go to https://big-c-atlantic-challenge.app/ on your laptop, or scan this QR code on your phone:
Scan this on your phone to register your support
PS Robin will be flying out to St John's at the weekend to help Andrew prepare to sail - watch out for updates then
April was another strong month for the Start Software support desk, with the team continuing to deliver a fast and reliable service for customers using Alpha Tracker.
It was also a particularly busy month for calls from asbestos and water hygiene technicians, reflecting the continued day-to-day reliance on Alpha Tracker in the field. Whether technicians were logging site information, updating records, managing jobs, or needing help while out with clients, the support desk was on hand to help keep work moving.
Strong response and resolution performance
In April 2026, the support desk solved 869 problems in total. Of those, 810 were solved in time, giving an overall in-time resolution rate of 93.21%.
High-priority support remained especially strong. The team solved 141 high-priority issues in time, achieving an excellent 97.92% in-time rate for high-priority tickets.
This continues the consistent performance seen throughout the year so far:
Month
Total solved
In time
In time %
High-priority in time %
January 2026
904
846
93.58%
98.86%
February 2026
926
855
92.33%
98.81%
March 2026
996
923
92.67%
97.93%
April 2026
869
810
93.21%
97.92%
A busy month for technician support
April’s figures show that the support team handled a substantial number of requests while maintaining a high standard of service. With Alpha Tracker being used heavily by asbestos and water hygiene technicians, many calls required practical, timely support for people working in live operational environments.
That kind of support is especially important when technicians are on site and need quick answers. The April results show the team continuing to respond effectively, helping users resolve issues and get back to their work with minimal delay.
Thank you to the support team
A big thank you goes to everyone on the support desk for another month of hard work, patience, and professionalism.
Solving 869 problems in April, while keeping more than 93% of all tickets and almost 98% of high-priority tickets within target, is a strong achievement and a great reflection of the team’s commitment to Alpha Tracker customers.
We’re delighted to be supporting Harmony as they get started with Alpha Tracker, particularly as they extend their asbestos service offerings to their clients. This marks an exciting step in broadening the support they already provide across safety, compliance, consultancy, building fabric, service and maintenance solutions.
Alpha Tracker specialist Kim is onsite today to guide the team through the system, answer questions, and help everyone feel confident using Alpha Tracker from the outset.
We’re really pleased to be working with Harmony Fire and look forward to supporting the team as they continue to grow their services and deliver trusted safety solutions for their clients.
Mid-webinar talking about apps, data & power mid-Atlantic
The conversation was a lot of fun covering every topic from how Start Software builds apps and offline-capable forms to the likelihood of Andrew seeing mermaids on his world-record-attempting crossing...
Remember - if you need help with Alpha TransForm or want us to create offline-capable data capture forms for your business, we're here to help: https://alpha-software-specialists.com/
Next week we will be continuing our series of Alpha Tracker “Office Hours” sessions. We hope you can join us.
Our Alpha Tracker Office Hours sessions will be short, informal, half-hour drop-in sessions providing the opportunity for support, discussion, clarification, demonstration, advice – all sorts of help with any area of Alpha Tracker.
The Office Hours are live and interactive; we’ll be led by the topics you want to discuss. These are “cameras on” sessions for everyone, we’ll be on camera and so will you. To make you feel more comfortable, we won’t record the sessions.
Join Kim & Catherine for the next session on Tuesday 21 April 2026 at 13:00. No need to pre-register, simply click the link between 13:00 – 13:30 on the day to join: https://whereby.com/alpha-tracker-office-hours
See you Tuesday!
Smooth Sailing with Alpha Tracker: Office Hours with Kim
& Catherine
One of our company values is that we join in and contribute to our communities. This week we did exactly that - a group of volunteers from the Start Software Telford HQ stepped away from their desks and into the community, taking part in a litter picking initiative aimed at making a visible difference to the local area.
Things didn’t go entirely to plan!! Partway through the journey, the weather turned and hail started coming down. Still, the team persevered and got stuck in.
By the end, a noticeable amount of waste had been cleared and the area left in much better shape. Not unlike their day jobs, really. Whether it’s cleaning up data or cleaning up streets, the aim is the same: leave things tidier and improve the environment for everyone.
In a single session, the team cleared three full bags of waste, a shopping trolley, and a roadside fly-tipping deposit. Well done all.
We've just finished an Alpha Tracker asbestos implementation for one of the UK's largest companies.
That AI-Jack and AI-Dan doing an AI-celebration
Our client has literally thousands of sites nationwide, ranging from small units to huge office complexes. Our asbestos software is now deployed in the Alpha Tracker cloud, and is managing the asbestos across the entire estate.
It's been a challenging implementation, but today we went live, on time, and on budget. Well done Jack & Dan - great job.
Could 2026 be our year, finally?! Stranger things have happened (just)
Our previous entries into the competition have resulted in disgrace, a soaking, a near disqualification and general mayhem. This year is unlikely to be any different.
Having had staff members affected by cancer this year, it is fitting that we'll be fund raising for cancer charities when we race in September. Watch out for fund-raising links and thanks in advance.
That's not a real photo. Robin's hair is much more grey
Alpha Draw is the companion site plan drawing app for asbestos software Alpha Tracker. It's due a refresh, and the new version is a ground-up rewrite with a whole raft of new features:
better integration with Alpha Tracker including dynamic sample markers
AI-powered "finger drawing to clean plan"
AI-powered "room photo to site plan".
It's pretty amazing! We showed it first at our March Office Hours session.
Watch out for more updates and the new version in the app stores.
Andrew is packing up Big C and crating it ready for its journey across the Atlantic to Newfoundland on a container ship. It will arrive in plenty of time for Andrew's launch back to the UK on his world record attempting journey, in May 2026.
Big C in good hands... please don't drop it!
Our app for Andrew's followers has also hit a milestone today, and it's ready for testing. Take a look for yourselves, here: https://big-c-atlantic-challenge.app/
There’s nothing quite like getting out from behind a desk and onto site.
Last week, Zac from our Alpha Tracker Support team did exactly that—joining the asbestos surveyors from our partners at Acorn Asbestos for a day in the field. The goal? To see first-hand how surveys are carried out, how our software performs in real-world conditions, and—most importantly—where we can make things even better. We've had some repeat tickets from an asbestos surveyor and wanted to see the issue live - supporting our wonderful customers is *so* much easier in person.
Why site visits matter
We spend a lot of time building and refining Alpha Tracker and Tracker Mobile but the real test is always on site.
Asbestos surveying isn’t done in ideal conditions. It’s tight spaces, awkward access, poor signal, and the constant need to work quickly and accurately. That’s exactly why Tracker Mobile has been designed to work offline, capture detailed data, and sync reliably later.
But no matter how much experience we have, there’s no substitute for standing alongside surveyors and watching the process unfold.
A day in the life of a surveyor
Zac spent the day following Acorn’s team as they carried out a live asbestos survey.
From logging into site, reviewing previous records, and planning the inspection route, through to capturing samples, photos and notes—it was a full walkthrough of the survey lifecycle.
Nice tats, Zac!
In the photo above, you can see Tracker Mobile in action—being used on-site to capture survey data in real time. This is exactly how the system is designed to be used: simple, structured, and reliable, even in less-than-ideal environments.
Tracker Mobile plays a central role here. Surveyors are using it to:
Record asbestos samples and suspected materials
Capture photos and link them directly to items
Log “no access” areas and site observations
Work through structured forms designed around their workflow
All of this is done on a phone or tablet, often with no signal, and synced back to the main system later.
If you’re new to Tracker Mobile, you can read more about how it supports asbestos surveying on our website: 👉 https://alpha-tracker.co.uk/asbestos
The small details that make a big difference
One of the most valuable parts of the visit was spotting the little things.
Not big feature requests—but small, practical improvements:
Reducing the number of taps needed for common tasks
Making key fields easier to access on-site
Improving visibility of important information in bright or awkward environments
Streamlining workflows when moving quickly between rooms or areas
These are the kinds of refinements that only come from real-world use. And they matter—because when you’re on site, every second counts.
This kind of continuous improvement is something we’ve talked about before—particularly in how user feedback shapes development.
Working with great partners
It was also a great opportunity to spend time with the team at Acorn Asbestos.
Their experience, professionalism, and willingness to share honest feedback are exactly what make partnerships like this so valuable. Open conversations about what works (and what doesn’t) help us continuously improve.
The insights from Zac’s visit are already feeding into discussions with the development team—helping shape future updates and improvements. Whether it’s performance tweaks, usability enhancements, or new features, it all starts with understanding what happens on site.
If you’d like to explore more about Tracker Mobile and how it supports asbestos surveying teams, take a look here: 👉 https://alpha-tracker.co.uk/asbestos
Final thoughts
A big thank you to Acorn Asbestos for having us along.
Getting out on site, asking questions, and seeing the reality of asbestos surveying is invaluable. It keeps us grounded, focused, and motivated to keep improving.
Jack has published a new Calendar Sync update for Alpha Tracker.
This is a bug-fix update which will help busy asbestos consultancies especially. Jack has fixed a couple of bugs which affected appointments which were scheduled/deleted/rescheduled within a few seconds of being created - something that doesn't happen very often but does happen occasionally.
Busy, busy, busy!
Calendar Sync is an Alpha Tracker feature which synchronises Alpha Tracker diary appointments into Microsoft (Outlook/Exchange) diaries or Google Calendar, so that site staff know their schedule simply by looking in their normal diary phone apps.
Get in touch with Alpha Tracker Support (UK or Australia/New Zealand) to organise your update.
We’re excited to announce that next week we will be starting our first series of Alpha Tracker “Office Hours” sessions. We hope you can join us.
Click this link to join the session from 12:00-12:30 on Wed 25 March
To explain what “Office Hours” are (confession... most of us here at Start Software weren’t aware, either!), the term originally referred to academic help sessions in the US, where students could get personalised assistance outside of class. Our Alpha Tracker Office Hours sessions will be short, informal, half-hour drop-in sessions providing the opportunity for support, discussion, clarification, demonstration, advice – all sorts of help with any area of Alpha Tracker.
The Office Hours are live and interactive; we’ll be led by the topics you want to discuss. These are “cameras on” sessions for everyone, we’ll be on camera and so will you. To make you feel more comfortable, we won’t record the sessions.
Join Robin, Kim & Zac for the first session on Wednesday 25 March 2026 at 12:00. No need to pre-register, simply click the link between 12:00 – 12:30 on the day to join: https://whereby.com/alpha-tracker-office-hours
There are six tools altogether (although one only applies if you're Norwegian!)
These tools are currently being evaluated and refined. Once they have been thoroughly tested, the most successful features will be integrated into our asbestos software, Alpha Tracker, as part of our 2026 development roadmap.
Although the tools are being developed alongside Alpha Tracker, consultancies using other asbestos software are very welcome to try them and share feedback.
There are currently six tools available, including one developed specifically for the Norwegian asbestos industry.
ASBESTOS 2026 by FAMANZ has been an amazing event - 300+ attendees (most of whom seemed to know Judy!) - with Alpha Tracker asbestos consultancy clients everywhere we looked.
We collected so many photos over the 3 days of the conference that we actually ran out of printer paper!
Many of the discussions we had with our users (and prospective users) was around the use of AI Agents inside Alpha Tracker and outside, too. It's a good job we'd published our Alpha Tracker Roadmap before we came - it shows, in detail, what our plans are. We also picked up a whole load of great ideas along the way - conferences are great for that!
What a location, and what a venue (and view!)
With the conference winding down, we had the "fun" job of packing up our stand. We did it in 10 minutes - just - not bad when Judy was suffering after picking up a netball injury, and Robin was still in a timezone somewhere between Sydney and Shanghai!
Thanks again to the organisers and all of our wonderful Alpha Tracker asbestos software users from Australia & New Zealand who have made the conference so much fun for us. See you again next year!
Judy & Robin have arrived at Sydney's stunning Darling Harbour for FAMANZ's 5th asbestos conference called "ASBESTOS 2026" (see what they did, there!).
Robin (jetlagged!) and Judy with the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the distance
Our Australian business, Alpha Tracker Pty, based in Adelaide, is one of the exhibitors - and we're proud to say that we've been a sponsor and/or exhibitor at every one of the five FAMANZ asbestos events. We're here to talk to our amazing Australian & New Zealand asbestos consultancy clients, and also to meet other partners and potential partners including PAS and MPAR.
The event is really well attended, again, with more than 350 delegates. They represent the whole asbestos industry as well as organisations managing asbestos in buildings and asbestos software companies, like Alpha Tracker. Robin is going to be showing off the experimental Alpha Tracker AI tools for asbestos consultancies in his talk on Wednesday.
The welcome drinks always attracts a crowd!
Our stand is busy, as usual with clients and prospective clients coming to say hello. To encourage new people to visit, we're running a competition this year to win a bottle of South Australian "champagne" from the mighty Penfolds. There is a lovely connection here for Judy & Robin - they visited Penfolds back in 2018 to help them with some on-site data capture technology, see https://blog.start-software.com/2018/05/software-meeting-at-penfolds-magill.html.
Instant prints - Polaroid-style - from a digital camera (the TimTam is for scale!)
Visitors to our Alpha Tracker stand are offered the chance to have their photo taken and an instant print produced... with all photos going into a hat to win the bottle at the end of the conference.
The photo printer has been busy!
Judy has been busy all day, right from the start at 08:00, and tomorrow and Wednesday are likely to be even busier with more delegates arriving.
Judy talking to an interested asbestos surveying company owner
Come and find us - we're easy to spot!
Lunch breaks give us a chance for some fresh air and to take in the stunning view over the harbour. What a venue and what a city!
Come and find us again tomorrow - if you can squeeze through the crowds.
Robin has managed to avoid being in the photos (so far)
Not a drone photo! Robin was up a staircase
Congratulations to the event organisers at FAMANZ for putting on such an amazing conference and for encouraging so many interesting (and interested) people to attend. We're going to have a really productive and stimulating three days.
At Alpha Tracker we always listen closely to our users. That insight helps us plan updates that make the software more capable, easier to use and better suited to real world project workflows.
Our 2026 Alpha Tracker Roadmap sets out the major releases we have planned this year. These updates reflect customer feedback, industry demand and our ongoing commitment to practical improvements.
It's going to be a busy 2026 for the Alpha Tracker team!
Release 42 (Q1): Customer-Driven Enhancements
We kick off the year with Release 42, which brings together a number of features we have been testing with customers:
Improvements to Water Hygiene data collection and reporting, including enhanced Client Portal workflows
Better automation of milestones and automated report email distribution
Improved QR code support for field teams
Enhanced admin automation, such as auto-populating of report recipients
Completion of the Australian asbestos risk assessment methodology
Ongoing security improvements across the product
This release lays a strong foundation for the rest of the year by focusing on core user needs and meaningful workflow improvements.
April: Release 42.1 — Technical and Cosmetic Refresh
Next up is Release 42.1, focused on general performance and usability:
Updated software framework for better overall performance
Faster import tools, making data loading quicker
A fresh look and cleaner user interface, optimized for tablets and desktop
Usage tracking to guide future performance improvements
API updates to support integrations with external systems
These enhancements make Alpha Tracker easier and faster to use day-to-day.
May: Release 42.2 — AI Enhancements
Building on the AI work we started in 2025, Release 42.2 brings multiple AI-powered features:
Jotter auto-summaries to help reduce time spent writing narrative text
An AI photo analyser to assist with image tagging and interpretation
Better list summaries throughout the product
An updated and integrated AI QC checker
Tracker Agent, our AI-powered replacement for Tracker Filer
These tools are designed to save time and support quality control across busy workflows.
June: Release 42.3 — Finance
Customers have been clear that finance workflows matter. Release 42.3 focuses on:
Improved Xero integration for smoother accounting workflows
Faster, easier invoicing
A new application for payment process
A special feature to support designated charities
This release makes financial processes in Alpha Tracker quicker and more flexible.
Custom Regional Updates: Release 42.4 (Australia & New Zealand)
We are batching up changes requested specifically by our Australian and New Zealand asbestos consultancy clients and delivering these in Release 42.4.
Later Releases in 2026
After that we have a series of updates focused on specific areas of the product:
Release 42.5: Sales, Customer Service and Client Portal
This update will improve how your customers interact with Alpha Tracker through the Client Portal and optimise internal sales and service processes.
Release 42.6: Calendar & Maps
Expect new and improved calendar views, tighter integration with What3Words, enhanced mapping capability and a new Calendar Sync module.
Release 42.7: Fire Risk Module
We are rebuilding the Fire Risk assessment module from the ground up and plan to release this later in the year.
Release 42.8: Accessibility
Alpha Tracker already meets many accessibility standards. In this release we go further, especially for users with limited vision.
Release 42.9: Technical Refresh
Towards the end of the year we intend to retire some older modules “behind the scenes” and replace them with a new product core, setting the stage for Release 43 and future development.
What This Means for You
This roadmap shows a clear progression through performance, usability, AI, finance, regional customisation and specialised updates. It reflects both our development priorities and the real needs of Alpha Tracker users.
We will continue to refine and adapt based on feedback as the year progresses, and you can expect each release to bring practical improvements to your workflows.
If you have specific ideas or requests for future releases, please get in touch. Your insight helps shape Alpha Tracker’s direction.
