When we talk about Support Desk performance, it’s easy to focus on overall SLA percentages. But some tickets matter more than others — and that’s where the real story lives. Our Support Desk - performing Under Pressure High-priority (H) tickets are often time-critical, business-impacting, and unpredictable. Looking back over the last six months, these tickets show just how consistent and resilient the Support Desk has been when the pressure is on. 📊 Consistency where it counts Between August and January , the Support Desk resolved 992 high-priority tickets . Throughout that entire period, the in-time rate for H tickets stayed impressively high — between 97% and 99% every single month . January is a strong example: 🔴 174 high-priority tickets solved ⏱️ 98.86% completed within SLA That level of performance doesn’t happen by chance. It shows clear prioritisation and a strong focus on what matters most. 💪 Pressure doesn’t mean compromise Ticket volumes naturally rise a...
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🚗 Start Software's Roadvlog on Good Morning Britain — Clean Up Britain Spotlight on Britain’s Most Repulsive Road
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| Britain's most repulsive road - the A50/A38 |
This week, Roadvlog was featured on ITV’s Good Morning Britain during a discussion about Britain’s most repulsive road — and the national attention couldn’t have come at a better time for our growing community of road observers and data contributors. Watch for yourself, here: https://www.itv.com/watch/good-morning-britain/2a3211/2a3211a4265 (fast-forward to approx. 10 minutes in).
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During the segment, the presenters highlighted how poor road conditions — from litter-strewn verges to deep potholes and debris — are one of the biggest frustrations for British drivers. Roadvlog’s data plays a central role in understanding and documenting these everyday experiences on UK roads.
The A50/A38 problem was first reported by Martin Burrows from Truckers Cleaning Up Britain - so thanks Martin! Clean Up Britain made the award after reviewing the 5,500+ reports made within Roadvlog.
🚘 What Is Roadvlog?
Roadvlog is a simple, web-based roadside condition logging app that empowers passengers to report and rate the state of roadside verges and road surfaces as they travel. Using GPS-enabled logging, users can:
📍 Capture a photo of the roadside
🧰 Rate the condition (from clean to serious litter/debris)
📊 Submit a report in seconds
All reports are automatically logged with location and local authority — building a powerful, evidence-based dataset that helps campaigners and authorities understand where improvements are needed most.
🛣️ From Drivers to Data: Your Contributions Matter
Roadvlog wouldn’t exist without its active user base. Every submission — whether it’s litter on a country lane or erosion on an A-road embankment — adds to a growing dataset that drives awareness and supports real campaigns for cleaner, safer, and better-maintained roads.
In the Good Morning Britain feature, the importance of data and public feedback was emphasised as part of a wider conversation about road quality and driver frustration across the UK. With issues like potholes and poor verge conditions topping lists of motoring grievances, Roadvlog’s crowdsourced approach is more relevant than ever.
📈 Why It Matters
Britain’s road conditions continue to be a major talking point among drivers — from persistent potholes across local networks to stretches of highway that feel neglected or unsafe. Public reporting tools like Roadvlog shine a spotlight on these issues and provide an independent, data-driven perspective on what’s really happening out on the tarmac.
🧠 Get Involved
Have you spotted a road that needs reporting? Try Roadvlog now at roadvlog.uk and start logging reports today — every submission helps build a clearer picture of the UK’s road health.
Together, we’re turning everyday journeys into meaningful insights that can help influence better road maintenance and policy change.
Congratulations Dan - our new Development Manager
We have a new Development Manager here at Start Software - meet Dan Darkin.
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| Dan at his desk in our Telford software development office |
Dan joined us an apprentice about 100 years ago (it feels like it, anyway!) and has shown determination, diligence, technical skills and an ability to work with clients, staff & suppliers. Dan now manages the software development team and oversees our critical and largest software development projects.
It's been a pleasure to see Dan's continued personal development and his increasing contribution to the business.
Congratulations Dan - well deserved.
🎉 Exciting News: Two New Alpha Tracker Orders This Week! One in the UK, one in Australia. Check out our TrustPilot reviews, too!
We’re thrilled to share that Alpha Tracker has received two new asbestos software orders this week, reinforcing the trust that environmental and compliance consultancies place in our software.
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| Orders on either side of the world this week |
One of these new customers is based in the UK and chose to switch to Alpha Tracker from our main competitor — a real vote of confidence in our platform and team. The second new order comes from Australia, where Alpha Tracker was recommended to the customer by industry contacts who already use and value our system.
These wins are more than just numbers — they show that organisations are actively choosing Alpha Tracker because of our reputation, support, and performance, and we couldn’t be more pleased.
⭐ Why Customers Are Choosing Alpha Tracker
We’re proud of the positive feedback we’ve received on Trustpilot, where Alpha Tracker holds an excellent rating that reflects our commitment to customer success.
Here are just a few examples of what our users are saying:
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“We’ve been using Alpha Tracker since 2016 and honestly can’t imagine running our asbestos division without it now. The support team are brilliant — always quick to help.”
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“The support we get here in Australia has been excellent — always quick to respond.”
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“We have been with Start Software for over a decade and their team are always helpful and quick to resolve issues.”
These real-world experiences underline why consultancies are willing to switch from competitors or recommend us to peers — they’re choosing Alpha Tracker for its reliability, depth of features, and exceptional support.
🚀 What This Means for Us
Getting new orders from both the UK and Australia in one week is a wonderful milestone — especially when they come from customers switching from competitors or based on personal recommendations. It shows that our investment in product quality, global support, and customer relationships is making a real difference.
Thank you to our clients and partners for your continued trust and support — here’s to more great partnerships ahead!
Cloud Document Maker update released (v1.13.0) enabling us to switch more Alpha Tracker clients to "instant reports" and no more document queue!
Jack and Bonggo have been working hard on a new Cloud Document Maker release and this went live yesterday.
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| Document queues - for not much longer! |
Cloud Document Maker (CDM) is our new method for producing quotations and asbestos reports within Alpha Tracker. It has been live for a while, and we have transitioned a number of customers over from the old method, but some asbestos reports have been difficult to switch because they relied on features not yet ported over to CDM. This latest update makes some of these features available and so we'll be working hard again on moving customers over.
Andrew's (second!) Big C Launch is getting closer!
It's not too long now before adventurer Andrew Bedwell sets off on his incredible cross-Atlantic world record attempting journey. He's hoping to cross the Atlantic in the shortest boat ever - a tiny vessel only about 1m in length.
Big C Atlantic Challenge Begins
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| Some of team in our Board Room with Andrew & Gordon joining remotely |
Andrew and friend & supporter Gordon joined a Start Software meeting this week to finalise plans for his new app. The app will available to supporters and will enable followers to:
- track Andrew's progress on a map (over 90+ days!)
- send messages of support
- read Andrew's "Captain's Log"
- see what wildlife Andrew has spotted
- understand the weather and sea conditions
- post ideas for a daily challenge which will help to keep Andrew entertained.
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| The Big C app development team |
Follow Andrew on Facebook here!
The 0333 301 1010 phone line is working again. Sorry for any inconvenience
Further to the blog post this morning https://blog.start-software.com/2026/01/telephone-service-issues-alternative.html we're happy to say that our 0333 301 1010 phone line is now operational again.
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| Sorry for the short outage this morning |
Do keep a note of the alternate number +44 (0)1952 288 316, just in case. You'll also find the number on our websites.