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| Could 2026 be our year, finally?! Stranger things have happened (just) |
Time for another look under the bonnet of our Support Desk covering Alpha Tracker (UK and Australian/New Zealand support), Alpha Legal and ecoScribe.
We like publishing these updates for a simple reason. If you are trusting us to run systems that matter to your business, you deserve to know how we are performing. Not just the good months. All of it.
Here are the latest figures covering September 2025 through to February 2026.
Over the last six months we have:
Resolved 5,149 support tickets
Delivered an overall 92 to 94 percent on-time resolution rate each month
Achieved between 97 and 99 percent on-time performance for high-priority issues
That is not a small volume. It represents consistent, steady demand from clients using Alpha Tracker, especially, and the wider Start Software ecosystem every day.
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| We track Support Desk performance monthly - and weekly - and daily! |
A quick snapshot of the last six months:
February 2026
926 tickets resolved
92.33 percent on time overall
98.81 percent on time for high-priority
January 2026
904 tickets resolved
93.58 percent on time overall
98.86 percent high-priority
December 2025
685 tickets resolved
91.09 percent on time overall
99.30 percent high-priority
November 2025
808 tickets resolved
92.08 percent on time overall
99.37 percent high-priority
October 2025
947 tickets resolved
92.40 percent on time overall
97.16 percent high-priority
September 2025
879 tickets resolved
94.20 percent on time overall
98.38 percent high-priority
Across the period we resolved 4,772 standard priority tickets and 992 high-priority tickets within SLA.
A few observations.
1. Volume remains high and steady
We are consistently resolving between 800 and 950 tickets per month, with December being the natural seasonal dip. That level of activity reflects a growing user base and more organisations embedding our software deeply into their workflows.
Busy is fine. Uncontrolled is not. The consistency shows the team is absorbing the load without performance dropping off a cliff.
2. High-priority issues are handled exceptionally quickly
When something is genuinely urgent, we treat it that way. High-priority SLA performance has stayed around 98 to 99 percent. That is where it needs to be.
If a system underpins field operations, compliance, billing, or reporting, delays are not just inconvenient. They cost money. Our focus is always to protect business continuity first.
3. Overall SLA performance is stable
Overall on-time performance has remained comfortably above 91 percent every month, peaking at over 94 percent.
Of course we would like that to be 100 percent. Real life occasionally intervenes. Complex issues take deeper investigation. Some require third-party involvement. Some involve careful data repair rather than a quick patch.
What matters is that the trend is stable and predictable, not volatile.
Support performance is not just about answering tickets quickly. It depends on:
Well-structured, documented software
Clear release management
Robust hosting infrastructure
Experienced developers who can step into escalations
And clients who provide good information when raising issues
We are fortunate on all counts.
As Alpha Tracker and our other platforms continue to evolve, we invest heavily in stability, monitoring, and preventative fixes. The best support ticket is the one that never needs to be raised.
Support work is rarely glamorous. When things run smoothly, nobody notices. When something breaks, everyone notices.
Sustaining over five thousand resolutions in six months with consistently high SLA performance takes focus, discipline, and care. We are quietly proud of the team.
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| Zac keeping his eye on a ticket - and the Support Team |
Please keep raising tickets through the proper channels. It helps us track, prioritise, and measure properly. Emails sent to individual developers may feel faster, but they make it harder to maintain this level of visibility and accountability.
And if you are considering working with us and want to understand how we operate, transparency like this is part of the culture.
We build software that supports operational businesses. That means our Support Desk has to perform, month in, month out.
If you would like to talk about how Alpha Tracker or our wider solutions could support your organisation, just get in touch.
We will keep publishing these updates. Quiet consistency beats loud promises every time.
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.
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| 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.
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.
Ticket volumes naturally rise and fall. Over the same six-month period, total tickets solved ranged from 685 to 947 per month.
Even during busier months like October and January, high-priority performance remained consistently strong. When demand increases, the desk doesn’t trade quality for speed — it adapts.
That’s a key indicator of a mature and reliable support operation.
Behind the numbers are some important habits:
Clear triage and prioritisation
Strong ownership and handovers
Experience handling complex and urgent issues
A shared understanding of what “high priority” really means
Together, these keep critical issues moving — even when things get busy.
High-priority tickets will always be unpredictable. What is predictable is how the Support Desk responds.
As we move into the next quarter, the challenge isn’t just maintaining these results — it’s understanding what helps sustain them at scale, and where we can push even further.
Because when it really matters, performance under pressure is what counts most ⭐
Our Start Software Support Desk handles issues for asbestos/water/fire software Alpha Tracker, legal services portal Alpha Legal/Alpha Portal and environmental reporting software ecoScribe.
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.
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.
We are currently experiencing issues with our main telephone
number:
+44 (0)333 301 1010
This may mean you are unable to get through, experience call drops or similar.
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| You can still call us or email us for support |
While our primary number is affected, please use one of the following alternatives:
Both options are fully operational, and our support team is ready to assist you as normal.
We appreciate your patience while the telephone provider
resolves the issue. If you need anything urgently, please don’t hesitate to
reach out using the working contact channels listed.
There’s something very fitting about starting the year on a bright, icy January morning. The light is new, the path ahead is clear, and while the ground may be slippery, progress comes from knowing where you’re going and taking each step with confidence. This photo of Catherine walking into the office captures that feeling perfectly as we step into 2026 at Start Software.
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| Here we go again! Welcome 2026 |
So, with frozen car parks behind us and a full year ahead, here’s what we’re excited about.
Alpha Tracker remains at the heart of what we do, and 2026 is shaping up to be a busy year for new releases.
Alpha Tracker Release 42 and Release 43 are on the roadmap, bringing a steady stream of practical improvements driven directly by customer feedback. As ever, the focus is on reliability, usability and features that genuinely make day-to-day work easier.
We are rolling out a significant upgrade to Cloud Document Maker, delivering faster and more scalable document production for reports, certificates and client deliverables. Less waiting, more getting things done.
Tracker Filer will be replaced by Tracker Agent, our AI-powered "extra pair of hands" that will massively reduce your admin.
We know Alpha Tracker does not exist in isolation, so integration continues to be a major priority. 2025 saw us deliver the Lab Sample Exchange and the connection to the incredible FLS/Solvares VISITOUR optimised scheduler. We have many more integrations planned for 2026.
AI is only useful if it solves real problems, and that is exactly how we are approaching it.
Our Report QC Checker is now available for all customers, helping to catch inconsistencies, omissions and common issues before reports go out of the door. It adds another layer of quality control that supports professional judgement rather than replacing it. |
| Go to asbestosreportqc.start-software.ai |
Great software comes from great people. We are delighted to welcome Bonggo to the Start Software team, strengthening our ability to support customers and continue developing the platform at pace.
We will also be getting out and about more in 2026, sharing what we have learned and learning from others.
This includes presenting at conferences around the world, with highlights already planned such as FAMANZ in Sydney and World Summit AI in Amsterdam. If you are attending either, do come and say hello.
Finally, 2026 marks a major milestone for us. This is our 20th year of trading.
That means 20 years of building software, working closely with customers, adapting to new technology and staying firmly focused on value for money. We will be celebrating properly with staff and customers in the autumn, and we look forward to sharing more details as plans come together.
Thank you, as always, for being part of the Start Software story. Here’s to a productive, innovative and well-supported 2026.
As the year drew to a close, our Support Desk stayed reassuringly steady. December is traditionally a month of distractions, deadlines and diaries full of festive commitments, so maintaining strong response times is always a good test of both systems and people. We are pleased to say the results held up very well.
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| Adam helping a caller on the Christmas Support Desk |
91.1% of all tickets were resolved within SLA
99.3% of high-priority tickets were resolved within SLA
685 tickets solved in total
142 of those were high-priority issues
High-priority performance in particular remains excellent, with virtually every urgent issue handled on time despite reduced availability around the Christmas period.
Looking back over the last six months, performance has been consistently strong:
| Month | In time (%) | In time (H) (%) | Tickets solved |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2025 | 91.40% | 97.88% | 977 |
| August 2025 | 90.97% | 97.08% | 831 |
| September 2025 | 94.20% | 98.38% | 879 |
| October 2025 | 92.40% | 97.16% | 947 |
| November 2025 | 92.08% | 99.37% | 808 |
| December 2025 | 91.09% | 99.30% | 685 |
While overall ticket volume dipped in December, which is typical for the time of year, SLA performance stayed firmly in line with previous months. The slight variation in overall percentage is largely explained by reduced staffing over the holidays combined with a smaller pool of tickets, where a handful of slower resolutions have a bigger impact on the headline figure.
To close out the year, it is worth stepping back and looking at the broader picture. Across the six-month period shown above, the Support Desk handled:
5,127 tickets in total
1,003 high-priority tickets
With consistently high SLA compliance for urgent issues every month
Maintaining over 97% on-time performance for high-priority tickets across such a sustained period is a strong result, particularly given the mix of routine queries, complex issues and time-critical incidents that come through the desk.
Just as importantly, ticket volumes have remained high throughout the year without any significant drop in service quality. That combination of throughput and reliability reflects the experience of the team, clear escalation processes, and a continued focus on resolving issues efficiently rather than simply closing tickets quickly.
January usually brings a return to higher volumes, along with new projects and system changes. Our priorities going into the new year remain unchanged:
Keep high-priority responses fast and dependable
Maintain clear, timely communication
Use support trends to identify and reduce recurring issues
Thank you to everyone involved for another solid year of support delivery. Keeping things running smoothly, even during the busiest and quietest months alike, is no small achievement.
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| Dan with a bottle from Start Software to celebrate |
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| Thanks for the plug, Andrew, much appreciated!! |
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| Kim & Melika - worthy winners (though does "Rookie Mode" count?!) |
Our Support Desk has had another busy period and the team continues to work hard to keep responses quick and solutions on track. Here is the latest six month snapshot of how we have been doing.
We track two key measures:
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| Support Desk - June to November 2025 |
Overall, performance has stayed consistently strong, especially for high priority issues where the team is regularly clearing more than 97 percent within the SLA window.
Thank you to every client who has contacted the helpdesk this year. If you ever need support with Alpha Tracker or any of our other systems, you can reach the team through the Support Portal or by emailing us at any time.
October was another excellent month for our Support Teams, with 92.4% of tickets resolved within their target time and an impressive 97.2% of high-priority issues handled on time.
That’s 876 tickets completed within SLA (and 171 high-priority ones), from a total of 948 issues logged and solved in October. It’s a busy workload — and the consistent high standards show just how hard our team works to keep our clients happy.
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| Thanks ChatGPT for the graphic - but why the mix-and-match on decimal points and commas?! |
Here’s how our “in-time” performance has looked over the past few months:
| Month | In-time % | High Priority In-time % | Total Solved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 92.41% | 97.16% | 948 |
| Sep 2025 | 94.20% | 98.38% | 879 |
| Aug 2025 | 90.97% | 97.08% | 831 |
| Jul 2025 | 91.40% | 97.88% | 977 |
| Jun 2025 | 90.45% | 97.40% | 838 |
| May 2025 | 92.14% | 95.42% | 852 |
We’ve now kept performance above 90% for six months running, proving that reliability is more than just a number — it’s part of how we work.
If you ever need to log a support ticket, you can do so anytime (24x7, literally). We look forward to being of service.
We’ve just hit an incredible milestone — our 100,000th support ticket has landed!
That’s 100,000 times our customers have reached out with questions, ideas, or requests — and 100,000 opportunities for our support team to help, learn, and make Alpha Tracker, Alpha Legal, ecoScribe and all our other systems even better.
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| 1,000,000 grateful customers (well, most of them...) |
Every ticket tells a story: a new project getting started, a clever feature being used in a new way, or a challenge that helped us improve our software. We’re genuinely grateful for every message, call, and support request that’s come our way over the years. Without your feedback and patience, we couldn’t keep making our systems as powerful and reliable as they are today.
Our support heroes handle everything from “how do I…” to “help, it’s all on fire!” - and they do it with professionalism, good humour, and an impressive amount of coffee. Reaching 100,000 tickets is a testament to their dedication and the relationships they’ve built with customers across the UK and beyond.
If 100,000 tickets got us here, we can only imagine what the next 100,000 will bring. More innovation, faster responses, smarter systems — and, no doubt, the occasional head-scratcher that keeps things interesting.
At this rate, we might even start placing bets on when ticket number 1,000,000 will arrive…
Thank you for being part of our journey — here’s to the next big milestone! 🚀
Birmingham Tech Week was buzzing with ideas, innovation and some very clever uses of artificial intelligence — so of course, we couldn’t resist joining in. Andrew and I spent the day at the ICC for the AI Symposium, part of this year’s Quantum Leap series of events, learning from industry leaders and sharing how AI is already shaping the work we do at Start Software and CTT.
Our day began at Birmingham New Street, where the ever-impressive Ozzy the Bull (fresh from the Commonwealth Games) gave us a suitably dramatic welcome. I couldn’t resist giving him a new accessory — my Birmingham Tech Week badge. He wore it with pride.
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| Ozzy pre-AI modification |
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| Ozzy with his pass! |
The city itself looked fantastic under autumn skies — from the sleek curves of Grand Central to the golden crown of the Library of Birmingham, Birmingham’s mix of heritage and modern design made a great backdrop for a week celebrating technology.
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| The Town Hall |
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| The sun was shining on the event |
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| Birmingham Library |
Inside the ICC, the energy was palpable. The exhibition area showcased everything from VR headsets to cutting-edge data visualisation tools, and the AI Symposium featured some genuinely insightful discussions. It was standing-room-only at times, with experts debating the ethics, opportunities and challenges of machine learning in the workplace.
Agentic AI again was a key focus - as was security - themes repeating from the World Summit AI in Amsterdam two weeks ago.
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| Inside the impressive ICC |
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| Should have gone to Specsavers |
For us at Start Software, AI is more than just a buzzword. It’s already integrated into our products — helping clients work smarter and faster:
Alpha Tracker uses automation and smart data processing to simplify compliance and asbestos management.
Alpha Legal keeps legal professionals secure and efficient with AI-driven document checks and smart communication tools.
ecoScribe harnesses speech recognition and natural language processing to turn complex survey data into structured reports in seconds.
Seeing so many companies exploring AI’s potential was inspiring — and it’s clear that the Midlands is fast becoming a real hub for innovation.
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| The panel gathers |
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| Andrew front-and-centre (as always!) |
We left Birmingham Tech Week with plenty of ideas (and a slightly sore neck from looking up at Ozzy). Huge thanks to the organisers for such a well-run and thought-provoking event.
If you’d like to learn how AI is already improving workflows in Alpha Tracker, Alpha Legal or ecoScribe, get in touch — we’d love to show you what’s possible.
(post by Robin Bennett)
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| 4,000 chairs ready to be filled (and 8,632 people actually attended!) |
The Start Software team headed to Amsterdam for this year’s World Summit AI — two days of ideas, debate, and discovery. We went to learn, connect and invent, and we came back with new insights, connections, and practical takeaways to improve how our products work for real people. From agentic AI and human-in-the-loop design to transparency and security, the themes map directly onto what we build every day in Alpha Tracker, Alpha Legal, ecoScribe and roadvlog. Our goal is simple: use AI to amplify creativity and productivity while keeping people firmly in control.
Two special people joined our group. Legacy Software Manager Mickey from our partner CTT Group, and Start's remote developer Fatbardh — our first chance to meet Fatbardh in person. Trips like this deepen partnerships and help us align product roadmaps with the challenges our clients are facing right now.
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| Jack & Catherine walking into the venue |
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| The message was clear - AI should be used to amplify creavity and make the most of our time |
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| Lucas, Melika & Jack at an Agentic AI booth - a theme of the event |
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| Start Software are an AWS partner - so we borrowed their both for the group photo! |
“Seeing how others weave AI into live business systems — not just labs — pushes our thinking forward. Our challenge now is translating that into wins for our clients.”
— Robin
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| It's about time - and interesting cars! |
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| Our 24x7 Support didn't stop just because we were away |
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| Melika networking with an AI translation business - we service clients worldwide |
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| We have been creating and using Digital Twin for nearly two years! |
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| "AI First" - Robin wishes he had the copyright! |
Across many talks, one phrase kept returning — “AI First”. For us, it means thinking with AI from the outset, not bolting it on at the end. In practice that looks like: designing data models that support explainability; building features that are auditable; and ensuring that agents work within clear human limits. Begin with purpose, start small, measure outcomes and scale thoughtfully — it’s how we ship reliable AI into production systems.
We’re already applying conference lessons across the suite:
“Every new idea has to pass a simple test: does it help people — or just intrigue engineers?”
— Dan
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| The Norwegian Dawn drifting by |
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| Zac was seriously fast! |
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| Most of the Start Software team were at the event |
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| Karen Hao's "Empire of AI" book - a troubling read |
We’ll be presenting an AI session at Alpha Software Dev Day on 18 November 2025 — sharing what we’ve learned and demonstrating how to design human-in-the-loop systems using Alpha’s tools.
See Alpha Software’s events page for details. Expect practical examples you can take back to your own apps: agentic workflows with oversight, explainable outputs and patterns for responsible automation.
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| Robin, Catherine, Dan, Lucas, Mickey, Jack, Zac, Melika, James & Fatbardh |
Human-led. Agent-operated. AI-first. Transparent.
#WorldSummitAI #StartSoftware #AlphaTracker #AlphaLegal #ecoScribe #AI #HumanInTheLoop #Amsterdam #AlphaDevDay2025