Release 41.6 is going down a storm! The release notes and release video are now available

Alpha Tracker Release 41.6 is now reaching client servers and our Alpha Tracker Cloud.  More than 400 improvements have made it into this release, including some important security enhancements and the new Australian risk scoring algorithm.

We've finished the Release Notes document and highlights video, too.

Click to watch the Release 41.6 Highlights video on YouTube

Product Manager Jack's Top 10 Highlights are these:

1. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is introduced in this release, adding an optional extra layer of security by requiring a second step to verify your identity when signing in.  In other words, you'll need your phone as well as your user name & password
   
   
2. As another security feature, individual passwords can be set for MDS and managed from within Alpha Tracker and Alpha Tracker Mobile.  This will increase security for your asbestos surveyors
   
   
3. The Lab Sample Exchange feature is launched, enabling easy sending of sample data to Alpha Tracker labs and returning of analysis results and certificates
   
   
4. AI summaries have been introduced on various screens
   
   
5. The new risk assessment scoring method for the Australian regulations is now available and you can switch it on for individual clients
   
   
6. Changes to milestones allow for the Project Type on a project changing and for No Access to Site not to register as data received in the project
   
   
7. We've made it easier to control permissions for Client Portal logins
   
   
8. There are additional controls managing who can edit diary appointments
   
   
9. It is now even easier to close a batch of projects helping you to keep your database tidy
   
   
10. A new tab on Project Types lets you easily see which qualifications are required for a Project Type if you use the Staff Training Matrix.

Read the Highlights document and Release Notes here: https://alpha-tracker.co.uk/latest-release

You can watch the highlights video on YouTube here or by clicking below:

Important! Do you use our Microsoft Exchange Calendar Sync? You need to take action

Do your Alpha Tracker diaries automatically sync with Microsoft Exchange (Outlook) calendars?

If so, watch out from an email heading your way today (28 February 2025).  Microsoft have made a change to Exchange which will affect this process.  

Microsoft are disabling a feature - you need to take action

You need to change some account permissions within your Microsoft account to be sure that your diary syncs will continue as normal.  

Jack has created a video here to explain the process you will need to follow: https://www.loom.com/share/a3eaef6ea7164f85ac3c43aa3dd4362b 

The email will be coming from businessmanager@start-software.com with a subject of "ACTION REQUIRED: Exchange (Outlook) Calendar Sync - Alpha Tracker".  Please look out for it and do not ignore it!  We don't want any site staff to miss a job or attend the wrong site.

You do not need to worry or contact us if you sync with Google calendars - only Microsoft.

Dan & Jack's latest Alpha Tracker Tips & Tricks Webinar is now available to watch on YouTube

Did you miss our live webinar last week?  Dan & Jack showed the various "diary sync" options in Alpha Tracker including Google Calendar, Exchange (that's Outlook and Office365) and even the incredible FLS from our partners Fast Lean Smart!

Don't worry if you did miss it! You can watch the recording on our website or on YouTube.

Watch all previous Alpha Tracker webinars on our website

Or click this video to watch on YouTube, instead!

Our next *free* webinar is on Thursday 30 May at noon. Join us to see how to link your Alpha Tracker calendar to Google, Outlook and Microsoft Teams

Remember when your diary was just a little black book in your pocket?  Now most people have multiple calendars for home, for work, for clubs... and it is complicated to look across all of these at the same time.

Alpha Tracker's diary can link to Google, Outlook and Microsoft Teams so you can see all your work appointments with your other commitments.

Having multiple diaries is complicated!

Join Dan & Jack on our free webinar on Thursday 30 May at noon (UK) to see how you can link Alpha Tracker diaries to your other calendars.  Take this opportunity to streamline your life!

Microsoft Teams <-> Alpha Tracker integration improved. New Tracker Filer now available

Tom has released a new version of our Tracker Filer product to improve the link between Microsoft Teams and your Alpha Tracker diary.

When you're setting up a Microsoft Teams meeting, try including your Tracker Filer email address as an attendee, like this:

Add your special Tracker Filer email as a meeting attendee

You'll see the meeting appear in your Alpha Tracker diary with the notes carried through from the Teams meeting.  Really handy!

Webinar #2 recording now available on YouTube. Catch up with Alpha Tracker Tuesday Tips & Tricks

The second Alpha Tracker Tips & Tricks webinar is now available on YouTube.  Here it is!

We showed two of Alpha Tracker's best features in quite a bit of detail.  We covered:

• the Wallboard - Alpha Tracker's planning tool which uses information from projects and the diary
  
  
• Map Scheduling - ideal when filling diaries with short, low-value jobs (eg domestic surveys or water hygiene work).

Sorry if you joined at 13:30 expecting to watch live.  Zoom had become confused about GMT vs BST and the clocks moving forward at the weekend baffled us all completely!  It probably didn't help that Dan & Kim were in Telford and I was 6 hours ahead in Indonesia (working with two of our Alpha Tracker developers who are based here).

Watch out for next month's webinar which will be on Tuesday 25 April at 12:30 (UK time).  Register for free, here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aS6dJ0j5QCycZ65VbHgBow

Webinar #1 recording now available on YouTube. Catch up with Alpha Tracker Tuesday Tips & Tricks

The recording of our first Tips & Tricks webinar is now available on YouTube.  Here it is!

We covered a lot of ground - possibly too much!

• the new search box and the favourites bar
• all of the basic diary operations (adding, moving, marking appointments)
• mapping and routing within an appointment
• better ways to schedule lots of jobs - including repeating schedules
• filling diaries from a map (great for domestic surveying)
• syncing your diary to Google Calendar or Microsoft Exchange
• skills and how to prevent the wrong person going to the job!
• the Wallboard - one of the best features in Alpha Tracker
• new options in the Wallboard to forecast up to 6 months ahead
• looking at your plan by client, project, type of work or staff member.

Congrats Zeynep for winning this month's t-shirt by asking the best question!

Watch out for next month's webinar which will be on Tuesday 28 March at 12:30 (UK time).

Free webinar! Alpha Tracker Tips & Tricks Tuesday (try saying that quickly)

It's our first Alpha Tracker Tips & Tricks Tuesday webinar on Tuesday 28 February.  We're running them on the last Tuesday of the month right through 2023.

Click to register

Join us at 12:30 to see how to:

• make the most of the Alpha Tracker diary
  
  
• link your diary to Google Calendar or Microsoft Exchange
  
  
• plan routes from home, office or anywhere! 
  
  
• use our new planner to look 3 months or 6 months ahead
  
  
• quickly fill diaries using the map scheduler
  
  
• forecast income by client, job type, project or staff member.

We'll have the Alpha Tracker team on hand to answer questions or reply to comments.  It's free and is only 30 minutes of your time - so join us if you can!

Click here to register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aS6dJ0j5QCycZ65VbHgBow

New Wallboard features are on the way - view by Client, by Project, by Project Type... and look further into the future

Tom has just finished some new features in the amazing Alpha Tracker Wallboard.

Wallboard is already a brilliant planning tool - and it's just got better!

The Wallboard shows you data live from your Alpha Tracker diary.  It's a fantastic way to plan and forecast future income for your business.

Tom's latest features are these:

• group and total by Client, Project or Project Type
  
  
• look ahead 3 months or 6 months or even further if you want to.

The Wallboard is blindingly fast - and can show you totals in working hours or in terms of income to your business.

These new Wallboard features will be available in Alpha Tracker Release 39, coming very soon.

Tracker Filer can now add your Microsoft Teams meetings to your diary!

The latest version of Tracker Filer has a fantastic new feature.  It can automatically add your Microsoft Teams meetings to your Alpha Tracker diary!

How does it work?  

(a) If you are creating the meeting from within Microsoft Teams, simply add Tracker Filer as a meeting attendee and it will do the rest.

Add Tracker Filer to the list of attendees and the Teams meeting will appear in Alpha Tracker

(b) If you are invited to a meeting, forward the meeting invitation email to Tracker Filer and the meeting will appear in your Alpha Tracker calendar.

Forward any Microsoft Teams invitation to Tracker Filer

How do I get the new Tracker Filer on my system?

Call support (UK or Aus/NZ) and they will organise that for you.

Another great job from our developer Tom.  Nice one, Tom!

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!

Our new Wallboard will be available in Alpha Tracker Release 38

We've been working hard on our new Wallboard - the at-a-glance view of the diary that also gives planners a view of future income month-by-month or week-by-week.

Our new faster, filterable, searchable Wallboard

Some of the improvements include:

• much better performance - you can now work in real-time
  
  
• you can now filter by office, client, work type or project - or any combination!
  
  
• we show the daily totals and the staff totals graphically as well as numerically.

Release 38 is only a month or so away now - do get in touch (UK or Aus/NZ) if you want to see a preview of this or any other new feature.

Message received, loud and clear! You've told us what you like and don't like about the Alpha Tracker interface

Thanks to everyone who completed our Alpha Tracker questionnaire.  It's still available if you still want to give us your opinion, see https://blog.start-software.com/2022/01/tell-us-what-you-think-were-improving.html

The areas of the interface you were most happy with were projects and invoicing. 

The areas you were least happy with were quotes and diary. 

Overall, users said that Alpha Tracker was easy to use but wished it opened more quickly.

We've taken all of the feedback on board and we'll make use of it in Release 38.  Watch this space!

View appointments on a map to help you schedule more efficiently

Did you know you can view Alpha Tracker diary appointments plotted on a Google Map?

This makes it so easy to see how far asbestos surveyors are travelling between appointments and who is already near a job you need to schedule.

View site staff appointments on a map

It's so easy to show the map:

1. click Resources|Select Resource
   
   
2. choose the staff you want to map
   
   
3. enter the appointment date range - that's it!
   

We're making this process even easier in Release 36 and we're also expanding the information shown on map.  All great suggestions from our wonderful Alpha Tracker asbestos consultancy clients.

Site staff view live work diaries on their smartphones with Alpha Tracker's Calendar Sync

How do you send the work schedule to your site staff? Are you send emails or spreadsheets?

How do you tell one of your asbestos surveyors where they are working next week and who to ask for when they arrive on site?  Is this another email or phone call you have to send?

Do your Legionella analysts know what sites they are taking samples at without reading through emails?

Is this all a pain in your current asbestos software system?

Alpha Tracker's Calendar Sync feature is the answer!  It replicates the Alpha Tracker diary with Google or Microsoft Exchange (Outlook) calendars and means that staff only need to look on their phone diary to see where and what they are doing each day.

Alpha Tracker's Calendar Sync means your staff always know what they are doing

Another bonus is that Calendar Sync also sends the address of the site to the calendar so Google Maps can be used for driving directions - with literally no extra effort on the part of the surveyor!

If you are not using Calendar Sync in your Alpha Tracker installation, do get in touch with our support desk.  It's another massive timesaver in your business and we want you to get the most out of our software.

Are you making best use of Alpha Tracker's diary?

By far the easiest way to schedule your Alpha Tracker projects is to use Alpha Tracker's own diary. Especially if it is set to auto-sync with Google Calendars or Exchange Calendars so that staff can see their appointments on their mobile phones.

But if you are the person scheduling the work, are you aware of these great features to make your work with the diary easier?

Adding other people - When booking a job in for multiple people, you don't need to make multiple appointments. Simply make one appointment but use the Add other resource link to specify the other people whose diary the appointment should also be added to. And if you also tick Link Appointments, if you ever need to move these appointments, you can just move one of them - the linked appointments will automatically move to the same date and time.

Splitting appointments into individual days - Some work needs to be scheduled over a number of days but isn't a continuous block. Book this in quickly by selecting the start and end date and time in just one appointment and then ticking Split into daily appts? The diary will automatically create separate appointments for each of the days in the date range using your standard working hours.

Linked appointments and daily appointments

Alpha Tracker Technical Guide updated

We've updated the Alpha Tracker Technical Guide and the latest version is available to download from our support website.

The Alpha Tracker Technical Guide

The Technical Guide is a really useful document for system administrators who can adjust how our asbestos software works in 100s of different ways.  We've built Alpha Tracker to suit every asbestos consultancy or property-owning business and the Technical Guide explains how each of the settings affects how the system works.

The manual covers (amongst others):

• adding, changing and removing system users (including client portal users)
• setting up the system for your lab
• working with different types of asbestos survey
• linking the Alpha Tracker diary with Google Calendars or Microsoft Exchange
• system settings - 100s of them!
• importing & exporting data
• Tracker Dashboard
• extracting and analysing data using the Alpha Tracker Query Writer

Download the latest guide here: https://www.start-software.com/support/manuals/

Major update! Alpha Tracker Release 35 is now available

We're so pleased to tell you that Alpha Tracker Release 35 is now available.

Release 35 is our Spring 2021 Alpha Tracker update with 200 new features, updates and bug fixes crammed into it!  Jack has been the driving force and has collated ideas from our asbestos consultancy users, building managers, estates departments, NHS Trusts and others who have all had their input into this major new release.

Some of the highlights are:

• a massively improved hotspot editor so plans can be marked up easily and effectively
  
  
• a new user import feature to help our client portal users
  
  
• improved auditing of changes to surveyed items to explain what was changed, when and by whom
  
  
• a fantastic feature so you can email documents direct from the document folders
  
  
• a new look to the system (with more cosmetic changes coming in Release 36)
  
  
• better diary searching
  
  
• and much, more more!

We've started planning Release 36 now - why not get in touch with Jack directly with your ideas?  We'd love to hear from you!

Alpha Tracker Release 35 is available this week

Our latest Alpha Tracker (asbestos software) update is available this week.

Alpha Tracker Release 35 is available this week

We'll post more information tomorrow, including a video summarising the new features.  Look out for

1. a new hotspot editor
   
   
2. direct emailing of documents to your clients (straight from the document folder!)
   
   
3. better diary searching.

Thanks to all our wonderful clients for the new feature ideas - we've added 200 new features into this release!

Another 50 asbestos consultancies have chosen Alpha Tracker in Australia & New Zealand

Another landmark for Judy & Leanne based in our Alpha Tracker office in Adelaide, South Australia!

Another 50 asbestos consultancy clients have joined the Alpha Tracker family and are using our asbestos & environmental software to:

1. improve their admin with integrated quoting, project management and staff diary
   
   
2. save time and improve quality on-site with smartphone surveying apps
   
   
3. increase throughput and efficiency in the lab
   
   
4. produce asbestos reports with one-click 
   
   
5. share reports and results with clients using the integrated portal
   
   
6. invoice for work completed and send invoices automatically to Xero or Quickbooks.

Want to see these benefits for your own asbestos consultancy?  Get in touch, we'd love to hear from you.  Click here for New Zealand or Australia or here for UK.