Would you like a new "Dead" status on Alpha Tracker enquiries & quotations?

We currently support four different statuses on our enquiries & quotations within Alpha Tracker.

The statuses are:

• Enquiry (no financial information logged, it's just a record of first contact)
• Open (an quotation in discussion with the prospect or client)
• Won (a quotation where the client has said yes)
• Lost (they said no - perhaps based on price, need, or the business went to a competitor)

The four quote statuses currently in Alpha Tracker

Would you like to see another, called "Dead"?  This is where the quotation hasn't officially been lost but, instead, the prospect/client has stopped responding.

Please do let us know what you think - click here to email us.  Thanks!

Kim has been delivering Alpha Tracker training sessions and clinics this week. Can we help you, too?

Kim has been on the road this week, delivering advanced Alpha Tracker training to established users, and running a troubleshooting clinic for a new client.

I couldn't find a picture of Kim "in action", so this headshot will have to do!

One of the asbestos consultancy clients had asked to deliver a "gap analysis", to highlight areas of their business where Alpha Tracker could help to reduce admin and increase productivity.  One of Alpha Tracker's strengths is its flexibility, but that's also a challenge as our clients have choices about how much to implement and how to integrate it into their operations.

Kim, Catherine & Judy are all able to help you get the most out of your Alpha Tracker asbestos software.  For example:

• are you still running a separate CRM system (or spreadsheets) alongside Alpha Tracker?
  
  
• do you produce your quotations through Alpha Tracker or are you using another system?
  
  
• are site staff picking up their jobs from their phone calendars, or are you still emailing rotas?
  
  
• do you think you could make your scheduling team more productive through the use of FLS?
  
  
• are you using our latest features aimed at making surveyors more productive?
  
  
• are your asbestos templates perfect - or are you having to make manual amendments to documents?
  
  
• are invoices generated automatically from Alpha Tracker or are you still raising invoices manually in your accounts software?
  
  
• are your clients downloading their asbestos reports from your client portal, or are you still emailing PDFs (or printing and posting!).
  

Get in touch and have a chat.  We'd love to help you.

Alpha Tracker Release 41 is now publicly available

Welcome to Release 41 of Alpha Tracker with 500+ new features, performance improvements and bug fixes for our wonderful family of asbestos, water hygiene and fire risk users.

Here's a YouTube video to introduce the top 10 features:

In summary, here are the most important changes you'll notice:

1. Refreshed design
   Cleaner, fresher, easier to use
   
   
2. Our platform has been re-engineered for better performance
   Our biggest technical change yet, developed with our US software partners
   
   
3. Improvements to Single Sign-On (SSO)
   More control and more flexibility if you use a Microsoft network at work
   
   
4. Auto-emailing for asbestos reports
   A new feature that we have all been waiting for!
   
   
5. Auto-chasing quotations
   This will save your salespeople a great deal of time and effort
   
   
6. Counts on Jotter and Forms
   You'll know before you click whether there is anything to read/complete
   
   
7. Asbestos Appointments screen
   The asbestos version of our Water Appointments screen - very useful!
   
   
8. Exports with files
   Easier ways to export data alongside photos, reports, plans
   
   
9. Wallboard improvements
   Functional and cosmetic improvements
   
   
10. Lab Sample Exchange
    Watch out for more announcements including one or two surprises...

plus there is a new Alpha Tracker Mobile hitting the app stores next week.

You can read and download the Release Notes on our website and please do join our upcoming webinar on Wednesday 28 August at noon!  

Here's the webinar link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88632075774

Join our webinar to learn more

Try our AI-powered Alpha Tracker Expert! Ask it anything to help you to work faster and smarter

We've built an AI-powered experimental Alpha Tracker Expert here.

Ask the Alpha Tracker Expert anything!

Try asking it questions like:

• how do I create a new project?
• can I convert a quotation into a job?
• how can I export a list of open projects to Excel?

You'll need a (free) ChatGPT account to access it but that only takes a moment or two to set up.  Have fun and give us your feedback, thanks!

Find the Alpha Tracker Expert here: https://chatgpt.com/g/g-ktm2UEBHB-alpha-tracker-expert

Quotation "auto-chase" feature coming soon. Big time-saver for your sales teams

We're putting the finishing touches onto our new quotation "auto-chase" feature in Alpha Tracker.  This will be a huge time-saver for sales teams wanting to follow up on open quotes without manually writing individual emails to each prospect.

Preview of our quotation auto-chase feature

You filter the list of open quotes to select the ones you want to follow up.  Once you have the list ready, you can select all or a selection and press the new "Chase" button.  This will give you a customisable email template before you click to send.  Each quotation will then be followed up with the emails copied into your Tracker Filer address.

Our beta-tester consultancies will be the first to see the feature and give us feedback. If you'd like a sneak preview, too, get in touch.

Three(!) new Alpha Tracker asbestos consultancies are going live in the next 7 days... Kim will be exhausted!

We're training 3 (three!) asbestos consultancies during the next 7 days to enable them to switch to our asbestos software Alpha Tracker.

Three new asbestos consultancies will be online next week

All of these consultancies have been using asbestos software from other providers but have decided to switch to Alpha Tracker because of our 24x7 support, flexibility and customer service.

Our trainer Kim is on the road for the next week to get everyone online.

We're taking Alpha Tracker orders for late summer installations so do get in touch if you'd like a demo and a no-obligation quotation in June or July.

Email problem affecting some Alpha Tracker users. Sorry! We're working on it now

Some Alpha Tracker users are experiencing an email issue affecting the delivery of asbestos reports and quotations.  We are investigating now and expect to have a solution by noon on 10 August 2023.

Email issue 10 August 2023

The documents themselves are being created and can be downloaded from the report and and quotation folders until the problem is resolved.

For more information, contact the support teams at Alpha Tracker UK or Alpha Tracker Australia/New Zealand.

UPDATE @ 12:00 on 10/8/2023 - the solution is being applied to servers now.  Please bear with us and only contact the support teams if you have not already logged a ticket, thank you

UPDATE @ 15:30 on 10/8/2023 - we believe that all affected servers have been patched.  Please do contact us if you believe your system still has an issue, thanks.  Sorry for the inconvenience today

Alpha Tracker Release 39 is available - watch our 30-minute webinar

We're pleased to announce that Alpha Tracker Release 39 is now available with 100s of new features, improvements and bug fixes.  Nearly 1,000 in fact!

The Release 39 webinar video is now online

Dan, Jack & Kim hijacked(!) our regular monthly Tips & Tips webinar to show you the top 10 features and changes:

1. How to install Alpha Tracker as an app on your laptop or PC
   Add Alpha Tracker to your taskbar or as a shortcut on your desktop
   
   
2. Our new Water Hygiene module
   Fully-featured online and offline Legionella Risk Assessments, monitoring, monthly temperatures and more
   
   
3. Changes to Quotation numbering
   More scope for more quotations!
   
   
4. The new Invoicing process
   Easy, faster, with better interim and consolidated options
   
   
5. Ticketing
   Our own ticketing system is now available for you to use
   
   
6. Bulk/Repeat Scheduling where you need to visit a site on a regular basis
   Ideal for work with a repeating cycle (eg monthly water temperatures or emergency lighting/fire safety checks)
   
   
7. Client Portal improvements
   Now faster and simpler for your clients
   
   
8. Google Maps automatically included on your asbestos reports
   Another extra to add to your automated asbestos reports
   
   
9. FLS integration
   Worth checking out https://fastleansmart.com/en/ to see if it would benefit your business
   
   
10. Reporting improvements for faster running, better searching and more
    Better searching, sorting and presentation.

Watch the webinar on YouTube here and please do share with colleagues!

 

5 reasons to switch to Microsoft IIS web server for Alpha Tracker - important read!

Many of our larger clients are now using the Microsoft web server software, IIS, to run their Alpha Tracker systems.  What is this all about, why have we helped them to switch, and what are the benefits?

What is a web server?

Every web system needs web server software for it to run.  Google, Facebook, online banking systems and - in particular - Alpha Tracker, all need web server software to operate. 

Alpha Tracker has web server software built in, and this software works well for most of our clients, especially the smaller ones (say, consultancies with fewer than 10 staff).  

For larger consultancies, Alpha Tracker's web server can sometimes slow down.  You may have noticed this when lots of users are signed in or during busy afternoons when you are invoicing, the site team are uploading data, and clients are using the portal to check registers or download reports!  

Microsoft IIS runs some of the world's biggest websites and web systems.  It's a hugely secure, reliable and robust web server with vast resources at Microsoft supporting and developing it.

What happens if we switch?

We can usually keep your Alpha Tracker web address the same as it was before.  In fact, we can drop the "extra ports" if we have had to install them (to share the workload between users or offices).  Life becomes simpler because you only have one web address to use.

We need a couple of hours of downtime to make the switch.

What benefits will I see?

1. The system may be faster in general
   
   
2. The system will perform at the same speed all day.  You won't find that the system slows down as the day progresses
   
   
3. We won't need to restart systems either overnight or during the day if your software stops responding
   
   
4. Behind the scenes, you'll know that all of Microsoft's resources are working to ensure that your system is secure and protected from hackers.
   

Is there a cost?

Unfortunately, yes, a relatively small one.  We have to pay a licence fee to use the Alpha/IIS connection and we pass this on at cost.  Contact your local Alpha Tracker office for a quotation (UK or Aus/NZ).

The latest Alpha Tracker Mobile app update is available from the Apple & Google app stores

Want to access Alpha Tracker's key features from your smartphone?

Download the latest Alpha Tracker Mobile app from the Apple or Google app stores:

The latest Alpha Tracker Mobile app is now available for download

Using the app you can:

• access your appointments
  
  
• review your enquiries or quotations
  
  
• review your projects (jobs)
  
  
• create a new client, enquiry, quote or project (job)
  
  
• sign off an asbestos report
  
  
• view the asbestos register at any site

Would you like us to add more features?  Get in touch! (UK or Aus/NZ)

Meet the latest asbestos consultancy to switch to Alpha Tracker - Zephyr Environmental are live!

Welcome to Oxford-based Zephyr Environmental, the latest asbestos consultancy to switch to Alpha Tracker from Start Software.

Our trainer visited Zephyr last week to train their asbestos professionals to

• create quotations for asbestos services (read more)
• book jobs into Alpha Tracker and schedule using the in-built diary (more)
• capture asbestos data on-site including plans and photos (more)
• update asbestos sample results from the lab (more)
• produce asbestos reports automatically, with one click (more)
• share results with clients using the flexible client portal (more)

take photos within our Tracker Mobile app

record samples using any Android or Apple device (smartphone or tablet)

produce reports automatically - with one click!

We're looking forward to our partnership with Zephyr - an asbestos company offering the full range of asbestos services to domestic and commercial clients.

Can we help your asbestos consultancy to become more efficient?  Are you fed up with your existing software provider's poor attitude to customer service?  Give us a call!

New version of Tracker Filer in beta test - it's a cracker

The latest version of Tracker Filer is nearly ready.  We're excited!

Tracker Filer is your "personal robot", filing emails and attachments into Alpha Tracker

Think of Tracker Filer as your email robot helper for asbestos software Alpha Tracker - it reads emails and files them in the correct folder.  It's always worked for quotations and projects (it reads the emails looking for quote references and job numbers) but we've added an amazing new feature.

It also now works for general emails sent to your clients, even those not related to a specific quote or project. 

For example, if you send a general "how's business" email to a key client, it will now intelligently file that email against the contact record in Alpha Tracker and update the new Account Management screen.  That means you can tell, at a glance, which key contacts need some attention and which you are overloading with spam!

We'll blog again soon when the feature is ready.  AI robots are here to stay!

New "Tracker Filer" available - great new feature!

The latest version of Tracker Filer is now available for download.

Tracker Filer is an automatic link between your email system and your Alpha Tracker document folders - it is utter genius, even if we say so ourselves!

Tracker Filer has always read the subject line and body of emails to look for quote references or project numbers, but it now also looks in the attachment filenames too - really useful if you're forwarding on a quote, for example, and you forget to put the reference in the email itself.

Here is an example email with a quote attached:

I've cc'd the special Tracker Filer email address as usual (1) but haven't put the quotation reference anywhere in the email itself.  Previously, this would have caused Tracker Filer a problem.  Not now! The updated Tracker Filer can now read the attachment filename (2) and see that the quote is BQ21-0104 and file the email and attachment correctly for you.

If you'd like help to update your system, please do get in touch.

"Client timeline" feature coming soon in asbestos software Alpha Tracker

We're developing a new client timeline feature in our asbestos software, Alpha Tracker.

It's early days but Tom is hard at work with the new, graphical display of the history of client's interaction with your business, from first contact, through quotations, projects, invoices and more.

It won't make the cut in Alpha Tracker Release 34 so we'll keep it for the Spring release 35.  If you have any other ideas for the next version of Alpha Tracker, let us know!

Alpha Tracker Release 33 highlights

We're really pleased with Release 33 of our asbestos software, Alpha Tracker, and hope you are too!

We've called this update the "AI" release as we've added intelligence into so many areas of the system.  Here's a short highlights video to show you three new features in particular:

1. Fibre analysis screen changes for quicker data entry, better display on smaller screens, and extra flexibility for your asbestos lab
   
   
2. Our intelligent Alpha Validator checks are now built into the Survey Data screen
   
   
3. A new follow-up system and improved display of quotations to help you to chase and win business.

If you need help updating your system please do get in touch - we're here 24x7 in person to help you.

Alpha Tracker Release 33 - the "AI" release - is now available

We've been hard at work adding extra features to our asbestos software platform, Alpha Tracker.

Release 33 is now available with more than 450 new features, bug fixes and performance improvements.  Yes, more than 450!!  In this release, we've focused on "AI" powered features adding intelligence and convenience to many parts of the system including:

• a vastly improved experience for the lab when using the new fibre analysis features
  
  
• a completely rewritten quotation sub-system with improved graphics and follow-up workflow
  
  
• immediate, intelligent data checks on asbestos data submitted by asbestos software from the field helping you get your asbestos reports right first time!  

Alpha Tracker's redesigned quotation sub-system

Release 33 is the update to Alpha Tracker Release 32 which was made publicly available back in the Spring.

Keep an eye on the blog for the video introducing the new features and the full set of release notes.  They should both be available in the next few days.

Release 34 is now underway and is the "cloud release" with more features linking Alpha Tracker to the cloud for document storage and improved editing of reports and other documents.

Alpha Tracker Release 33 ready next week

The latest version of asbestos software Alpha Tracker, Release 33, will be publicly available next week.

The quotation engine has had a major revamp and we think you'll like the new colour coding and built-in follow-up mechanisms.

We've also improved the client portal again with new graphs and dashboards available for your customers to use.

Kim is busy finalising the release notes and we'll be producing a short video to introduce the changes to you.

Watch this space!

New quote chasing features coming soon in Alpha Tracker

We're working hard to finalise the next release of our asbestos software, Alpha Tracker.

Alpha Tracker is different from other systems because it can run your entire business - including logging enquiries, raising quotations and even invoicing a job once it is complete!

The next public release of Alpha Tracker will include a fabulous new quote-chasing feature.  Take a look at this sneak preview!

Welcome Jess to the UK team

Let me introduce Jess Humphries, our new Customer Services assistant working out of our Telford office.

Jess Humphries

Jess has joined us to work alongside Jack and Elaine on the support desk, helping our Alpha Tracker asbestos software customers with questions and queries.  She also prepares quotations for new work and books orders for new systems or asbestos report template changes into our own Alpha Tracker system.

Next time you call our UK support number, 0333 301 1010, you'll likely speak to Jess.  Do say hello! 

Meet Gloucester Asbestos - the latest asbestos consultancy to move to Alpha Tracker

With their Alpha Tracker asbestos software training complete, Gloucester Asbestos are looking forward to seeing productivity gains and being able to offer new services to their clients.

Yesterday, Kim trained the Gloucester Asbestos site and admin staff in the key features of Alpha Tracker, including:

• logging enquiries, producing quotations and booking in projects
  
• using Tracker Mobile to capture asbestos data on site
  
• instantly generating an asbestos report
  
• sharing the report with their clients.

Here are some of Kim's photos from the day:

Can we help your asbestos consultancy to improve through the use of our asbestos software system, Alpha Tracker?  Do get in touch if you think we can.