Alpha Site major update now live

Alpha Site, our new platform for on-site audits, inspections, health & safety reports and more, has just received a major update.

All of the new features are documented in an updated User Guide, available on laptop or smartphone once you are logged into the system:

All of Alpha Site's new features are in the updated manual 

Want to be part of our Alpha Site testing and development programme?  Get in touch!

More information about Alpha Draw - our site planning drawing tool for Alpha Tracker

The new Alpha Draw site plan module (that we have been blogging about all year!) was launched as part of Alpha Tracker Release 30 and is getting an increasing amount of use.

Alpha Draw is integrated with asbestos software Alpha Tracker to provide an easy way to produce simple plans or drawings and send them in to the appropriate project in Alpha Tracker.

Please get in contact if you would like to try Alpha Draw - you can download it from the Google Play Store as a free app and the SupportTeam then need to perform a quick setup step and provide you with your password so that you can begin using it.

We have created Alpha Draw to work best on tablet devices so that the asbestos surveyor has enough “work space” to draw plans of different sizes. 

You can quickly draw the shape of a room, add windows, doors and other features, even furniture too!

Finally, add your sample points before automatically uploading the drawing to the Alpha Tracker project.

Example of a site plan under construction

Once you have sent a drawing in, it is amendable from both the app and from the web version of Alpha Draw which you can access from Alpha Tracker. 

A new option, “Open Alpha Draw” on the Choose Task menu on Survey Details, opens the drawing in the web version of Alpha Draw.

The new Alpha Draw menu option within Alpha Tracker

There is a short, separate user guide available for Alpha Draw. Contact Support if you would like a copy or click here to download it yourself.

Join us on the Alpha Anywhere Dev Day - Tuesday 18 November 2025

Join the Start Software expert Alpha developers on the Alpha Anywhere Developer's Day 2025!

Robin & Dan finding something funny in their presentation prep(!)

If you’re working in low-code, mobile or web application development using the Alpha Anywhere/Alpha TransForm stack, then mark your diary: the annual Alpha Anywhere Developer’s Day 2025 (DevDay 2025) is just around the corner — and we’re delighted to announce that the developers at Start Software will be presenting.

🎯 Why DevDay 2025 is a must-attend

Scheduled for Tuesday 18 November 2025, from 9 am to 5 pm EDT (that’s 2 pm to 10 pm UK time approximately), the event is a free virtual conference aimed at the global Alpha developer community.

Highlights include:

• Guest-speaker presentations from leading Alpha developers

• A first look at the product roadmap for Alpha Anywhere and Alpha TransForm

• Practical tips & tricks for building faster, smarter with the Alpha platform

This is not just a “vendor show-and-tell” — it’s a full day of learning, networking and forward-looking insight for developers and project leads working with the Alpha stack.

🚀 Start Software’s role (and why it matters)

At Start Software we have been working with the Alpha platform for many years (since 2011, in fact) and our team has built large-scale systems using Alpha Anywhere, TransForm and Alpha Cloud.  It's fair to say that we are Alpha Software Specialists!

We’re particularly proud to say:

• We live and breathe “Alpha-first” solutions — from desktop to web to mobile

• Our in-house application, “Alpha Tracker”, powers thousands of projects and is developed with the same technologies we help our clients implement. (Yes, that means real world, production scale.)

• With DevDay 2025’s theme anchored around AI, our presentation will focus on how AI & machine-learning capabilities can be integrated into Alpha-built apps — making them smarter, more responsive and better aligned with the demands of modern users.

🧠 What we’ll be presenting

In our session we will:

• Explore how we have used AI-capabilities (such as natural-language processing, intelligent suggestions, anomaly detection) within Alpha Anywhere workflows.

• Demonstrate practical patterns: converting expert/manual logic into AI-driven services inside an Alpha application.

• Show how you can accelerate development, reduce repetitive tasks and elevate user experience using AI inside the Alpha stack — without sacrificing control, maintainability or performance.

• Offer a live mini-demo plus a takeaway checklist you can apply immediately in your own projects.

✅ Why you should register

• Free access — the event is virtual and open to all

• It’s a rare chance to see what’s next for Alpha Anywhere/TransForm and hear from developers who are applying it today.

• If you’re using Alpha in your business (or evaluating it), you’ll learn how AI can be added as a value-add — not just “because we can”.

• Networking opportunity: meet other developers, ask questions, discover partner solutions and expand your peer-group.

• And of course, having Start Software on the programme means you’ll get direct insight into one company’s journey — we’ll be quite open about lessons learned (both wins and pitfalls).

📌 How to join

Head over to the DevDay registration page:
➡️ Register for Developer’s Day 2025 (registration link on the official site)

Since the event is free, seats may fill up — best to secure your place now.

Once registered you’ll receive access details, schedule, sessions list and join link for the virtual event.

✉️ Connect with us before the day

If you’re already using Alpha Anywhere/TransForm (or considering it) and want to meet ahead of time, our team at Start Software would love to connect:

• Send an email to: alpha@start-software.com 

• Or reply to this blog post (we’ll monitor the comments) and we can schedule a short 15-minute chat ahead of DevDay to cover your specific project, questions or ideas.

🌟 Closing thoughts

AI is fast becoming the differentiator in app development. It’s not just about “add AI for show” — it’s about embedding intelligence, user-context, predictive insights and automation in a way that raises the value of your apps.

By combining the power of Alpha Anywhere / TransForm with targeted AI integration, organisations can deliver solutions that are faster, smarter and future-proof.

We at Start Software are excited to share how we are doing exactly that — and to learn from the broader Alpha community at DevDay 2025.

We hope to see you on 18 November. Register now to reserve your place, and we look forward to connecting with many of you during the session.

Alpha Tracker's little brother - Alpha Site - is growing up fast!

Our new site auditing tool - Alpha Site - is coming on nicely and is nearly ready to beta test with customers.

Think it of as an "Alpha Tracker lite" - it's a mobile-friendly, offline-capable, secure, simple fast tool for small businesses conducting site audits.  You can can create and issue quotes, convert them to jobs, do the site audit and issue and share the report, all from your mobile phone or tablet.

Want to take a look and perhaps become a beta tester?  Do get in touch.

Alpha Site auditing software ready for beta testing

Our brand new site auditing mobile software - Alpha Site - is now ready for the first beta testers (view previous posts here).

  

The latest features added to Alpha Site include:

• a client portal for clients to access audits and remedial actions
  
  
• quick-start help & dashboard for auditors
  
  
• a client dashboard
  
  
• on-screen guidance to get up and running quickly
  
  
• additional question types including free text (which includes text formatting & image insert)
  
  
• better visual indication of progress through an audit
  
  
• summary scores per report section.

Want to try it out for yourself?  Do get in touch!

June 2014's major update to Alpha Tracker released (SVN530)

We got there - eventually - after holding back the release for some last-minute change requests.

(thanks Kim for your testing and the release notes below - we're too tired to write them ourselves!!).

In the June 2014 release of Alpha Tracker (SVN530) you will find a lot of new features to help you work with Alpha Tracker more efficiently and some bug fixes too.

All new features are fully documented in the updated User Guide which is part of the update and which you can download straight from the home page of Alpha Tracker:

New features

1. There is a new option to create a Re-inspection project from an existing survey and send the items to be re-inspected to a specific handset.
2. The Site Reference copies to the new project, as do the Buildings.
3. The following fields are not copied to the new project: Project Opened, Order Received, Client Order Number, Client Project Ref, Estimated Total Project Value, Status, Project Notes, standard and additional milestones, Quotation ID, project's Special Instructions.
4. Buttons on the Clients screen let you create a site, quote and project without having to return to the menu.
5. The Site tab auto-refreshes to show new sites added.
6. New fields on the Clients screen enable you to record an Account Manager and Account Support, selecting the name from your current members of staff.
7. You can now record a mobile number for Client and Site Contacts as well as a landline telephone number.
8. Buttons on the Sites screen let you create a project or a quotation with one click.
9. You can now create multi-type and multi-site quotations, entering full details of sites, project types and costs.
10. Prices are continued into the price builder/total price
11. When producing your survey reports there is a new option to “Produce DRAFT Report” which produces the report as normal but with “DRAFT” at the front of the filename so that it is clear it is not a final or authorised report AND it doesn’t appear on Tracker Web Server by mistake.
12. There are also settings that let you include the site name and / or the project type in the filename of your survey reports.
13. There is a new setting to update or not update the report produced milestone.
14. NAG items are now highlighted in pink on Survey Items, just like the No Access records.
15. Selecting a Site Name on a Quotation now pulls through the landlord and the postcode to the quotation, and the display of the Site Name dropdown is improved.
16. The Other Info button is available on the Quotations screen as soon as the quotation is given an ID.
17. Figures on Invoicing screens are all displayed Net, without VAT.
18. There are new additions to the range of standard reports.
19. The Client Portal is fully available, giving your clients their own login to view their data.
20. The whole of the Bulk Samples menu can be hidden in the Client Portal by using a new repository setting.
21. There is an “Other Documents” button on the client portal allowing upload and download of documents for policies/procedures, training and approved contractors.
22. The Client Portal includes fully searchable registers.

Bug fixes

1. Exporting data from View Survey Data to an Excel spreadsheet
2. When an enquiry is saved then changed to a quotation it no longer changes back to an enquiry.
3. The correct Home Page should now be displayed for all users.
4. The Edit/View Photos option displays the photographs for the survey.
5. Recommendations are updatable in the survey data.
6. Fixed errors encountered when creating projects from quotations.
7. Fixed errors encountered when deleting drawings from Documents.
8. Fixed errors encountered when adding appointments to the Calendar.
9. Documents containing an ampersand (&) in their filename can now be uploaded to the Documents folder.

There are many more changes and bug fixes - the above is just the list of the most important.  I'll post a YouTube video of the changes when I get chance.

If you need any help updating your system, give the support line a call and they will be pleased to help.

Intelligent scheduling in action: FLS VISITOUR team visits Alpha Tracker HQ

We welcomed our partners from FLS VISITOUR to the Alpha Tracker UK HQ in Telford this week.

The teams came together for a lively, in person catch up with great conversation, shared ideas, and, yes, sandwiches and cakes to keep the energy up. The focus: how our partnership is helping organisations schedule smarter and make life better for the people doing the work out in the field.

The Alpha Tracker and FLS VISITOUR teams

The visit was all about collaboration and innovation, strengthening our partnership and reviewing the AI-powered scheduling integration that connects FLS VISITOUR’s intelligent technology with Alpha Tracker’s open, flexible platform. Together, we’re helping asbestos, environmental and compliance businesses plan smarter, faster, and greener.

James from FLS joins the Alpha Tracker team remotely - nice squidgy van, too

FLS VISITOUR’s technology uses artificial intelligence to deliver real-time, optimised scheduling. It automatically assigns the right person, with the right skills and equipment, to every job — and dynamically adjusts as priorities change.

This kind of intelligent scheduling is transforming how field teams operate, especially for organisations managing hundreds of asbestos surveys, environmental assessments or compliance visits each week. When combined with Alpha Tracker’s project management and reporting tools, the result is a seamless, data-driven workflow from instruction to completion.

Alpha Tracker CTO Jack and Simon from FLS reviewing the live data integration between Alpha Tracker and VISITOUR

During the visit, Jack demonstrated the two-way data flow between Alpha Tracker and FLS VISITOUR.

When a new project/appointment is created in Alpha Tracker, it appears instantly in VISITOUR, where the intelligent engine gets to work building the most efficient schedule. Completed visits and updates then flow back automatically, keeping every team in sync without manual intervention.

This integration exemplifies Alpha Tracker’s commitment to openness and connectivity ensuring our clients can link effortlessly to the tools they already trust.

Benefits for field teams

• Less time on the road thanks to optimised routes and sensible sequencing of jobs
• Fewer last minute scrambles because changes are handled automatically
• Clearer daily plans and accurate ETAs sent to clients
• The right person sent to the right job, improving first time completion and morale

Real scenarios we discussed

• An urgent appointment lands at 11am: Visitour finds the nearest suitably skilled colleague,  reshuffles the afternoon, and Alpha Tracker updates the job pack and notifications.
• A customer cancels: the slot is backfilled with a nearby task, reducing dead time and travel.
• Multi site surveys: related visits are grouped to minimise mileage while keeping within access windows and site rules.

What this means for productivity

Office teams gain time back because the “where and when” is handled intelligently. Field colleagues see more predictable days, fewer unnecessary miles and better first time outcomes. The result is higher

utilisation without burning people out - a win for both productivity and job satisfaction.

PS watch the recording of our Alpha Tracker/FLS webinar here: https://alpha-tracker.co.uk/webinars or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/m-dqw8f3E0Q

Alpha Tracker/FLS partnership officially launched

If you use LinkedIn, you'll have seen the announcement launching the partnership between Alpha Tracker and FLS: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/fls-fast-lean-smart_asbestos-legionella-fieldservice-activity-7242492709238710273-dqEN?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Our partnership will bring huge opportunities to increase efficiency and productivity for our biggest asbestos and water hygiene consultancies.  The FLS approach to optimising staff schedules has to be seen to be believed! It's truly exceptional, and the integration we have now enables the power of FLS to be delivered alongside the operating efficiency of Alpha Tracker.

You can read the FLS announcement here: https://fastleansmart.com/en/blog/fls-fast-lean-smart-partners-with-alpha-tracker/

Get in touch to learn more - we'll be glad to explain how our new integration works.

Note to editors:

Alpha Tracker® is a comprehensive, cloud-based software solution specifically designed to meet the needs of environmental consultancies worldwide, particularly those dealing with asbestos, water hygiene, and fire risk assessments. Trusted by hundreds of consultancies globally, Alpha Tracker offers a versatile and scalable platform that enhances operational efficiency and streamlines project management from start to finish.

One of the key strengths of Alpha Tracker is its ability to integrate seamlessly with various tools and platforms, providing users with a flexible and customisable experience. The software easily connects with popular calendars like Microsoft and Google, ensuring that scheduling and project management are synchronised across your organisation. Now that the power of FLS is available to Alpha Tracker consultancies, huge productivity increases can be made without extra manual scheduling effort.

The platform is designed with adaptability in mind, offering features that can be tailored to suit the unique requirements of each consultancy. For example, Alpha Tracker enables mobile data capture through both Android and Apple devices, allowing field teams to collect and upload data in real-time, directly from the site. This capability not only improves data accuracy but also accelerates the reporting process, enabling faster turnaround times for clients.

Furthermore, Alpha Tracker's open and adaptable nature means that it can easily grow and evolve alongside your business. Whether you are a small consultancy or a large enterprise, the software can be configured to match your specific workflows and operational needs. The system’s automation features, such as automated reporting and invoicing, further enhance efficiency, allowing your team to focus on delivering high-quality service to your clients.

In addition to its powerful features, Alpha Tracker is backed by a dedicated 24x7 support team that understands the challenges faced by environmental consultancies. This ensures that users receive the assistance they need to maximise the benefits of the software, making it an invaluable tool for consultancies looking to optimise their operations and expand their services.

In summary, Alpha Tracker is a robust, flexible, and highly integrated software solution that empowers environmental consultancies to manage their projects more effectively. With its global user base and proven track record, Alpha Tracker is the ideal choice for businesses seeking to enhance their operational efficiency, improve client satisfaction, and drive growth.

July 2014's monthly update to Alpha Tracker has been released (SVN610)

July 2014's monthly update to Alpha Tracker is now publicly available.  This is update SVN610.

Over the course of the last month, we've been working hard to incorporate new features into Alpha Tracker. Altogether we've made 80 improvements and bug fixes in this release since June's update (SVN530).
All new features are fully documented in both the release notes and updated User Guides.

New features in SVN610

The key new features are as follows:

1 The client portal has a new integrated plan viewer

2 If your company allows staff to schedule their own work, you'll appreciate the new options for enabling consultants to "accept and schedule" the jobs assigned to them.  The new features also allow for jobs to be rejected or re-allocated to other consultants

3 You can now control alert emails which will be sent when new projects are created

4 There is a now a warning if you attempt to delete a project type which has been selected within one or more projects

5 The invoice format has been adjusted to better accommodate larger addresses

6 AlphaValidator is now fully incorporated into Alpha Tracker enabling data to be checked on upload and before report production.  Up to 36 different data checks can be performed!

7 Alpha Tracker now automatically takes a backup of system files before updates are applied, just in case

8 A default building can now be auto-added on project creation

9 You can now decide whether the survey screen should auto-close on save or not.  This one feature divides our customer base... some love it and some hate it!!

10 Another divisive one this... you can now choose whether approving a report stops future report production or not

11 A "live" site asbestos register is now available for viewing within the Site screen itself.  You can also manually update asbestos records from this screen AND see the history of an item.  Associated with this feature is...

...12 re-inspections can now be generated from this site register screen including long-awaited features for re-inspection records to be marked as pending and not go straight to an inspector's handset

13 The Survey Details screen has been cosmetically redesigned with the key change being the moving of the "Re-use Data" option

14 You can now generate or view Quotes, Projects and Other Info records direct from the Site screen

15 The Quotation screen has been redesigned to make it clearer

16 Project List is now filterable by Client ID

17 You can now change the on-screen name for "VAT" (sales tax) to suit your particular country and legislation, and...

...18 you can also call an "invoice" something else if you wish to suit your needs

19 The Event Description is no longer used when creating appointments so has been removed from the screen, and last, but not least

20 Each building can now have a specific and customised list of floor names so that reports can be presented exactly as your client would want.

For more information on any of these features, please contact the office as usual.

Tried the Alpha Tracker plan "hotspots" feature yet? It's easy, quick to do and puts your site plans on another level (no pun intended!)

Our Hotspot feature in Alpha Tracker isn't used by all of our asbestos consultancy clients.  Are you one of the Alpha Tracker users missing out?

When you Hotspot a site plan, you click to place the samples onto the drawing, it's as easy as that.  The benefit to you is that you then get automatic colour-coding of the samples.  Once the lab has input their analysis, the samples on the site plan automatically colour-code to show positives in red and negatives in green.

The benefit to the client is that the site plans then become active on the client portal.  They can zoom and pan around the plan and click on the samples to find out more about the asbestos at that location, including the photos taken by the surveyor and the condition of the asbestos found.

Alpha Tracker hotspots - are you making the most of them?

There is more information in the Alpha Tracker User Guide, found here and the release notes for Release 35, here.  Or just get in touch with the support desk (UK or Aus/NZ) and we'll set up a screen share to show you how they work.

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.

UKAS accreditation and Alpha Tracker

We're often asked about UKAS accreditation and how Alpha Tracker fits in, so I thought I'd blog a few random thoughts. Whatever situation your asbestos consultancy is in with regard to UKAS, I hope this post helps!

Most of our asbestos consultancy clients using Tracker or Alpha Tracker are UKAS accredited, but not all.  Indeed, sometimes the main reason a non-accredited surveyor has for buying a software package is to become more organised and improve quality with the specific aim of becoming accredited.

UKAS themselves have to be completely impartial and individual UKAS assessors will never state which (if any) software package they prefer.  There are some useful links here if you want to learn more about why impartiality is crucial to UKAS:

https://www.ukas.com/about/our-role/

https://www.ukas.com/about/about-accreditation/

If you are UKAS accredited, what can you expect from us here at Start Software? Well, for new Alpha Tracker clients we offer to attend site (for free) to be on hand for the first UKAS visit post-implementation.  Typically we don't have to say a word but it can be a comfort to know we are there, on site, just in case.

For long-standing Alpha Tracker users, the most important aspect of what we do is to assist with keeping our client's Quality documentation updated when our software changes.  We never push updates to our clients - instead we tell users when software updates are available and always post detailed release notes at the same time so that it is easy to spot changes which may affect the way that your business operates.  This is costly and time-consuming for us but is essential for our UKAS-accredited Alpha Tracker clients.

You can see the Alpha Tracker release notes here http://alpha-tracker.co.uk/:

Alpha Tracker Release Notes

If you have any questions about how our asbestos software Alpha Tracker can help you with your UKAS accreditation, please do get in touch.  We'll always do our best to help.

Alpha Tracker at the NORAC Conference in Manchester

Yesterday, Kim and Melika from Alpha Tracker had a busy and successful day at the NORAC Asbestos Conference in Manchester. They spent time at our our conference stand and in the main room, reconnecting with familiar faces and forging strong new connections across the asbestos consultancy and health & safety sectors.

Old friends! (less of the "old", Neil said!)

Melika looks tiny!

We showcased the latest updates in Alpha Tracker asbestos software, sharing how our platform continues helping consultancies streamline survey records, compliance, and incident management.

Old clients dropped by the stand—always great to catch up, hear feedback, and discuss how asbestos software Alpha Tracker is working for them in real-world settings.

New leads and contacts also stopped by, interested in how we manage regulatory compliance, reporting, and how our mobile/web platform supports field work.

Let's have an asbestos debate!

The conference had an excellent agenda. One of the standout sessions was the debate about whether UKAS accreditation should be mandatory (or not) in the asbestos surveying industry.

In addition, these stood out:

• “Respiratory protective devices – how much protection do they offer” by Nick Baxter, the RPE technical lead at HSE 
  
  
• “The benefits of accreditation and preparing effectively for requirements” by Louise Wainwright, UKAS Assessment Manager and Asbestos Technical Focus Person. 

These talks tied in nicely with Alpha Tracker’s focus on standards, compliance and user safety—so there was a lot of synergy and topics for deeper discussion at the stand.

Kim at our Alpha Tracker stand

NORAC’s 2025 Annual Conference is one of the key events in the asbestos sector calendar. With its location at Manchester Marriott Victoria & Albert Hotel, it attracted consultants, analysts, contractors, safety professionals, and regulatory experts. The event also included NORAC’s first-ever Asbestos Awards Ceremony, recognising excellence across the community. 

Kim with global asbestos leader Yvonne Waterman

We came away inspired. The insights from speakers like Nick Baxter and Louise Wainwright reinforced how ever-more important robust software solutions are—especially in areas like accreditation, protection, and regulatory standards.

If you missed us at NORAC but want to learn more about what Alpha Tracker can do for your asbestos compliance or surveying work:

• Visit Alpha Tracker’s main site: alpha-tracker.co.uk
• Or go to our Asbestos-specific page: alpha-tracker.co.uk/asbestos

If you’re interested, we can also send you the full NORAC programme link or PDF so you can see all the talks and plan ahead for next year.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the stand, attended the talks, or joined in the conversations. Looking forward to applying what we learned and seeing some of the new ideas brought to life!

May 2015's update to Alpha Tracker

We're combining the April & May releases for Alpha Tracker into a bumper update which will be ready in a couple of weeks.  You can find more information about the April release here: http://robinbennett.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/april-2015s-changes-to-alpha-tracker.html

The changes we are hoping to add in this month (in addition to those we listed in April) are:

Reference	Description
616	"No Samples Taken" to be shown instead of "Samples Analysed" on Project List
639	Ability to duplicate sites
679	Filter lab project list by Batch Number and Id
681	Client portal should look for PDFs and DWGs for CAD drawings, not just JPGs
682	Initial findings process - a "quick email" to a customer with the initial results from the lab
689	More complete audit trail for client portal accesses
505	Include "Sample Notes" onto Survey functions - Edit/View Samples, Edit/View Suspect Items, View Photos
530	New security group Auditor, Limited to only their calendar, View only of project details, edit milestones and open site details with read only view of site details
513	Provide option to change the labels on fields within the survey items screens - useful for clients working outside the HSG264 regime
711	Enabling clients to update removal costs etc through Client Portal
704	Limit the information a sub-contractor can see on Client Portal
704b	Limit the information a sub-contractor can see on Client Portal (site groups)
714	Improvements to the columns shown in Tracker Mobile
714b	Additional site staff names can be recorded in Tracker Mobile
557	Specific appointment values available (eg trainee time)
127	Client Portal - update your contact information page
263	Further developments within plan hotspots
671	New feature to disable deletion of client-added client portal documents
274	Client Portal - incorporate calendar of actions
416	Client Portal >> Asbestos register - Include colour coding of material assessment

We're constantly striving to make Alpha Tracker even better and even faster for our asbestos consultants, asbestos surveyors and asbestos consultancy clients.  If there is anything you can suggest to make the system better for you - just let us know!

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.

Start Software uses Alpha software to help customer with environmental management system audit

We've been providing ad-hoc mentoring for a customer with a management database written in Alpha Software's Alpha Five software development platform.

Yesterday I got a call - their sister company needed help to make a database of PDFs available throughout their organisation in readiness for an environmental audit - could we help?

A remote control session was set up and one hour later... the entire database of PDFs was searchable and accessible via web browser to all of the staff throughout the business.  Very few software development tools are powerful enough to do this sort of development so quickly and Alpha Five (and the newer version, Alpha Anywhere) are the best of breed.

An email from the client popped into my inbox this morning:

"Hello Robin,

Just returned from our sister site having been audited in accordance with their Environmental Management System. Again a great result for the Alpha software and Start Software support. The chemicals database was given full marks. I prepared 2 volumes of hard copy data all captured and retrievable at a glance on the Alpha System.

Thanks for your support this morning."
Can we help you with your Alpha software development?  Get in touch!

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).

Major Alpha Draw update now live - automatically colour-code sample tags, import drawings, new arrow tools, and more

Alpha Draw is Alpha Tracker's companion site plan drawing app.  We've been working hard the last month or two and a major update is now live on the web and on the Google and Apple app stores.

Some of the improvements on show in Alpha Draw

Here are some of the improvements you'll see:

• there are now 48 new arrows to use on drawings
  
  
• you can attach text to an arrow to highlight the issue being identified
  
  
• the surveyor can manually code-code sample tags as they are placed on the plan, and/or...
  
  
• ..admin staff can click one button to automatically colour-code sample tags based on the lab analysis
  
  
• any plan already saved in the Alpha Tracker project folder (for example, one provided by the client) can be used by the surveyor on-site.

You'll find the updated manual here: https://www.start-software.com/app/download/5815863577/Alpha+Draw+User+Guide+v1-1.pdf

Click to download the updated manual

This update is already live for all users of Alpha Draw - enjoy!

Two Alpha Tracker orders to end a busy week of demos and discussions

Two environmental consultancies have placed orders for Alpha Tracker this week.  Both are switching from other systems and so we're especially pleased to be welcoming them to the Alpha Tracker family.

Two more consultancies are joining Alpha Tracker

The first switcher is a large consultancy specialising in asbestos, and so they are looking forward to using the specialist asbestos features available in Alpha Tracker.  They work nationwide and have a large number of site staff working across a range of properties, from domestic to commercial.

The second new Alpha Tracker users focuses on fire and water services, with some asbestos work alongside.

We still have space for one more implementation before the summer, so do get in touch if we can help your asbestos, fire or water consultancy to switch to Alpha Tracker.

Alpha Tracker Release 41 will be available this month

Our beta-testing customers are giving us good feedback about Alpha Tracker Release 41, so we're confident that we'll be able to release it publicly in July.

July 31 is the big day for Alpha Tracker Release 41!

Here are some of the biggest changes you'll see:

• you can now set Alpha Tracker to email asbestos reports automatically when they are approved saving you a huge amount of admin time
  
  
• the Wallboard has been improved, both cosmetically and with new features
  
  
• there are new management screens for asbestos jobs (similar to the water appointments screen) and for Master Projects
  
  
• our new Lab Sample Exchange might be ready (it's going to be close!) - this will enable Alpha Tracker labs to exchange sample data electronically helping our clients' labs to grow their businesses and work more efficiently
  
  
• some AI features will be live including the ability to summarise asbestos registers at a site or in a project
  
  
• you can now chase batches of open quotes by email without having to write the emails yourself! Again, this is another huge time saver.

Excitingly, there is a large technical update behind Release 41 too, with an entirely new software framework in place that promises big improvements in performance going forward into the rest of 2024 and 2025.

Read about all of the Alpha Tracker releases here: https://alpha-tracker.co.uk/manuals%2Frelease-notes