FAQ
Short answers to the questions partners ask most, grouped by topic. Each links to the page with the full detail.
On this page
Money
How much do I earn?
On standard partner terms, Colby pays you $2.00 for every accepted hour your companies record. See how you earn.
How long do I earn on a company?
For as long as it records. The fee has no end date, and every company you bring in stays yours.
Does my fee come out of the company's pay?
No. Colby pays each company directly at the rate in its own contract, and pays your fee on top. No money passes between you and the companies you bring in.
Does it cost anything to be a partner?
No. Signing up and using the portal are free. Colby supplies the phones to companies.
Do hours in review count?
Only once they are accepted. Rejected hours never count, for the company or for you.
Does the rate I set for a company change my fee?
On standard terms, no. You earn $2.00 per accepted hour whatever rate the company gets. The portal shows what you earn next to every rate before you send a link.
Can I offer a company more than my limit?
The portal won't let you. Ask Colby first. Colby reviews any rate above your limit.
When are fees paid?
Your signed Referral Agreement says. Ask the money and agreement contact in your portal if anything is unclear.
Credit for companies
How does Colby know a company is mine?
It signed up through your invite link or one of your rate links, or you sent it through Refer a company or Send to Colby. Either way it shows in your People list and, once Colby makes it a company, in Companies.
Does an owner count if they only open my link?
They count once they leave their phone number on the page.
What if the owner was already talking with Colby, or another partner sent them?
The form or the chip in People says Colby is checking who referred them. Colby tells you the result. If it went to someone else, the chip says "Not counted as your referral."
What if I send the same person twice?
The portal recognizes a repeat and says you already sent them, with their status in People.
Do I earn on my own company's crews?
Not as a partner fee. If your own company is in the program, Colby pays it for its accepted hours at its own rate, and the portal shows that pay separately.
Contracts
Do I sign anything for a company?
No. Each company signs Colby's standard agreement and Order Form directly with Colby. You sign only your own Referral Agreement.
How does a company get its contract?
Choose Request contract on the company. Colby reviews it, signs first and sends it through DocuSign to the person you named. See contracts.
What does the company sign?
A Master Services Agreement and an Order Form. The Order Form sets its rate and term. Owners can read a plain summary in the paperwork.
Can I send contracts from my portal?
Not yet. It is coming.
Phones and kits
Who supplies the phones?
Colby. Each company gets phones that are already set up, with a head strap, a battery pack and a charging cable. Colby ships them. The kit guide is at colby.ing/setup/kit.
How many kits does a company get?
The number in its Order Form. You suggest it in the Camera kits field when you request the contract.
A kit isn't recording. What do I do?
Today lists a kit after 3 nights without a recording. Ask the owner who has the phone. For phone problems, the owner or you can write to support@getcolby.com.
Can I ask for more kits from the portal?
Not yet. Kit requests are coming. For now, ask Colby support.
Recording and quality
What makes an hour count?
Real work at a normal pace, filmed from a phone on the forehead tipped down so both hands and the work fill the picture, in good light. See what gets accepted.
Why do hours get rejected?
Most often the camera points forward instead of down, so the hands are out of the picture. Dark or blurry video, sitting still, and pretend or repeated work are also rejected. See why hours get rejected.
Can I see each recorder's videos?
Not yet. Companies shows each company's recorded hours, Earnings its accepted hours, and Today your rejected hours across all companies. Recorder-by-recorder results and video playback are coming.
Which kinds of work are accepted?
32 industries are on the accepted tasks list, from janitorial and hotel work to HVAC, auto repair and warehouses.
Privacy and the video
Who owns the video?
Colby owns the footage, under the company's agreement with Colby. AI and robot teams use it to learn how hands-on work is done. Your portal shows hours, not footage. Video playback is coming.
What must crews keep out of the picture?
Other people, screens and papers, restrooms with anyone inside, and any place the crew was asked to skip. See privacy and keep-out rules.
Who can see my People list?
You and Colby. Colby's view leaves out phone numbers and emails. Nobody on the list hears from Colby until you send them.
Does the assistant contact anyone?
No. It only updates your own list.
The portal
How do I sign in?
Go to colby.ing/portal, enter your email, and type the 6-digit code Colby emails you. The code works for 10 minutes.
Why can't I see my workspace yet?
Your Referral Agreement has to be signed first. Colby signs, then you, then your portal opens. The sign-in page shows where it stands.
Can I use it on my phone?
Yes. On an iPhone, tap Share in Safari, then Add to Home Screen, and it opens like an app.
How fresh are the numbers?
Hours update about once an hour. Today shows when it last read them.
Which country does the program work in?
The camera program works with companies in the United States.
Stopping
Do I have to keep bringing in companies to keep earning?
No. On standard terms you earn on every accepted hour of every company you brought in, for as long as it records. Your signed Referral Agreement governs.
What happens if a company stops recording?
No accepted hours means no fee from that company. It stays in your Companies list, and you earn again if its crews start recording again.
What happens if my Referral Agreement is cancelled?
The portal closes your workspace and shows that the agreement was cancelled. Write to Colby about it.