Industries and tasks
Colby accepts video of 346 tasks in 32 industries. Here is how to read the list, which industries sit closest to what Colby runs today, which sites take extra care, and how to open a conversation in each kind of business.
On this page
How to read the list
The accepted tasks page lists the work Colby accepts video of: 346 tasks in 32 industries. Each task has a short name and one line on what it covers, like "Hard-Floor Treatment: treat hard floors by machine or by hand." You can search it by industry or by job.
Four rules come with the list. Share them with every owner.
- Pick the task that matches the work.
- Record it in the kind of place its industry names.
- Do the task you picked, at a normal pace, with both hands in view.
- If a job is not on the list, ask Colby before anyone records it.
The list is a guide, not a complete list, and it grows: screen printing and garment manufacturing were added in October 2026. Check it before you pitch a new kind of company.
Places and trades
The 32 industries come in two kinds.
- Places (7 industries, 47 tasks). The industry names a kind of workplace, and each task must be recorded in that place. A hotel task is recorded in a hotel. These task names match the recording app word for word, so recorders can find them fast.
- Trades (25 industries, 299 tasks). The industry names a trade, like HVAC or welding, and the tasks describe the work itself, wherever the trade does it.
| Industry | Record it in | Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial Cleaning or Janitorial | A commercial cleaning environment | 7 |
| Hotel or Lodging | A hotel | 5 |
| Restaurant or Commercial Kitchen | A restaurant or commercial kitchen | 8 |
| Retail or Commerce | A retail or grocery store | 7 |
| Logistics, Warehousing or Moving | A warehouse, logistics or moving job | 7 |
| Manufacturing or Fabrication | A manufacturing environment | 2 |
| Agriculture or Landscaping | A farm or garden | 11 |
Some work shows up in both kinds, like cleaning and landscaping. When an owner signs up, they pick the kinds of work their crews do, up to 8, and Colby sets up recording from there.
The industries in families
The partners page groups the 32 industries into 11 families. Use them to plan who to look for.
| Family | Industries on the list | Example tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning and restoration | Commercial Cleaning or Janitorial, Cleaning, Restoration | Restroom cleaning, hard-floor treatment, extracting standing water |
| Hotels and restaurants | Hotel or Lodging, Restaurant or Commercial Kitchen, Hospitality and restaurants | Making up rooms, food prep, restaurant dishwashing |
| Stores and restocking | Retail or Commerce, Restockers | Shelf restocking, store receiving, rotating dated stock |
| Warehouses and moving | Logistics, Warehousing or Moving | Order picking, packing or palletizing, loading trucks |
| Farms and landscaping | Agriculture or Landscaping, Landscaping | Crop picking, greenhouse tending, hedge trimming |
| Construction trades | Construction, Contractors, Carpenters, Cabinetmakers, Roofers, Masons, Ironworkers | Drywall hanging, tile setting, laying brick and block |
| HVAC and electrical | HVAC, Electricians, Lineworkers | Replacing air filters, installing outlets and switches |
| Auto repair and detailing | Auto mechanics, Car detailers | Replacing brake parts, changing oil, polishing paint |
| Repair shops | Electronics repair, Locksmiths, Watchmakers, Upholsterers | Screen and battery swaps, rekeying, re-covering furniture |
| Manufacturing and metalwork | Manufacturing or Fabrication, Machinists, Welders | Applying labels, MIG and TIG welding, measuring parts |
| Garments and printing | Garment manufacturing, Screen printing | Sewing seams, cutting fabric, pulling prints |
How close each industry is to what Colby runs today
All 32 industries are accepted. They are not all equally far along, so check where an industry stands before you promise an owner anything.
| Where it stands | Industries | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Runs today | Commercial cleaning and janitorial | Cleaning is the biggest industry Colby works with today. Setup, the owner guides and the printed pages grew up around it, so the path from yes to recording is the best known. |
| Same recording app | Hotel or Lodging, Restaurant or Commercial Kitchen, Retail or Commerce, Logistics, Warehousing or Moving, Manufacturing or Fabrication, Agriculture or Landscaping | Recorded with the same app and setup as commercial cleaning crews. Explain that the rules owners read about cleaning apply to their work too. |
| Accepted, setup still opening | The 25 trades, from HVAC and welding to watchmaking | Video of these tasks is accepted, but for most trades Colby is still opening the recording setup. Ask Colby whether a trade can start now before you give an owner any dates. |
Sites that take extra care
The keep-out rules are the same everywhere: other people, screens, papers on desks, restrooms with anyone inside, and any place the crew was asked to skip stay out of the picture. Some workplaces make that harder. These are not extra rules, only places where the same rules take more work.
| Kind of site | Why it takes care | What to ask the owner |
|---|---|---|
| Medical and dental offices, schools, daycares, government buildings | They hold private records like patient charts, student files and case papers. Expect some to say no. | Which rooms could be recorded, like a lobby or a break room with no files or screens? |
| Customers' homes (moving, restoration, HVAC, electrical, house cleaning) | Mail, photos, family members and personal things are all around. | Who gives the OK at each home, and can the crew keep personal things out of view? |
| Work in front of the public (cashier, barista, bussing tables, moving luggage) | Shoppers, diners and guests walk through the picture. | Can the crew start with back-of-house tasks, or record in quiet hours? |
| Shops with screens and paperwork (electronics repair, auto repair) | Devices in for repair and paperwork can show someone's personal data. | Can screens stay dark or out of view while the crew records? |
| Lines and crews side by side (warehouses, garment lines, kitchens) | Coworkers are often in the picture, and everyone in a video has to have said yes. | Has everyone nearby agreed, or can the recorder work where others are out of view? |
| Job sites run by someone else (construction, roofing, ironwork, line work) | The general contractor or site owner decides about cameras. Several of these tasks call for safe positioning and approved, rated equipment, in the task's own words. | Who controls the site, and has the owner asked them? |
Example openers by industry
Open with the work the owner's crew already does, in their words. Then say what Colby does, and offer a call. Don't quote any rate except the one on your link: each company's rate is in its own contract with Colby.
Example
Janitorial company
"Your night crews already mop, clean restrooms and treat floors. Colby pays companies for video of that work, recorded on a phone worn on the forehead and tipped down at the hands."
"Colby sends the phones, set up, and reviews every video. Want me to have Colby call you?"
Example
Hotel or restaurant
"Your housekeepers make up rooms and your kitchen preps and washes dishes all day. AI and robot teams want to see how that work is really done, and Colby pays companies for the video."
"The phone points down at the hands and the work, and the crew keeps guests out of the picture. Could Colby call you this week?"
Example
HVAC, electrical or auto shop
"Filter changes, wiring outlets, brake jobs: robot teams are trying to learn exactly that kind of hand work. Colby pays shops for video of real jobs, recorded from the tech's point of view."
"Your techs do the jobs they already do. Colby handles the phones and the review."
Example
Warehouse or moving company
"Picking, packing and loading trucks are all on Colby's list of accepted tasks. Colby pays companies for video of that work."
"Each person who records agrees first, and the phone films their hands and the boxes, not the whole room."
Example
Farm, nursery or landscaping crew
"Planting, pruning, weeding and feeding animals are all on the list. Colby pays companies for video of the work their crews already do."
"Want to look at the task list together and see what your crews do most?"
For the full first talk, see your first conversation.
When the work isn't on the list
- Search the list for the closest task. Names are short, so try the tool or the material, like "drywall" or "filter".
- If a task fits, the recorder picks the task that matches the work.
- If nothing fits, ask Colby before anyone records. Say the industry, the job and where it happens.
- Don't tell the owner the work will be accepted until Colby says so.
Questions
Do rates differ by industry?
Each company's rate is set in its own contract with Colby. Don't guess a rate for any industry. The only rate you can name is the one on your link.
Can one company record in more than one industry?
Yes. An owner picks up to 8 kinds of work when signing up, and each recorder picks the task that matches the work.
Does Colby take companies that clean private homes?
The Cleaning industry includes tasks like making beds, folding laundry and move-out cleaning. Ask Colby before you pitch a company that mainly cleans private homes.
Which industry should I start with?
The one you know. Owners say yes to people who understand their work. If you know several, start where Colby runs most today: commercial cleaning.