Which companies fit
A company fits when its crews do hands-on work from the accepted tasks list, on steady shifts, at places that allow recording, and its owner can say yes. Check these before you spend time on a pitch.
On this page
What a good fit looks like
Five things make a company a good fit. You can check all five in one short call.
- The work is on the list. Its crews do tasks from the accepted tasks list, with their hands, for most of each shift.
- The hours are steady. Crews work scheduled shifts most days, so recorded hours add up without extra effort.
- The sites allow it. The owner can ask each building or site for an OK to record, and some of them are likely to say yes.
- The crew agrees. The people who would wear the phone are willing, and they can use a phone app.
- The owner decides and answers. The person you talk to can say yes, and will pick up when Colby calls.
The company also has to be in the U.S. Colby works only with U.S. companies.
Fit checklist
Run through this before you send anyone to Colby. A company does not need every box on the first day, but each gap is a question to answer before recording starts.
- The company is in the U.S.
- Most of a shift is hands-on work that matches a task on the accepted tasks list.
- Crews work set shifts on a schedule, not a few odd jobs.
- Together the crew can record a few hundred hours at the start. New companies plan for 200 to 1,000 recorded hours in their first month, across the whole crew.
- The person you talk to is the one who decides, or can get you to the one who does.
- The owner will take a call from Colby. Colby calls each owner to explain the program and set things up.
- The owner knows who manages each site and can ask for an OK to record there.
- The people who would record are willing, and anyone can say no without losing hours.
- Recorders can use a phone app: make an account with a personal email, start and stop a recording, pick a task, and upload on Wi-Fi after the shift.
- Someone can explain the rules in the crew's language. The crew sheet and the camera kit guide come in English and Spanish.
- The owner can look after the phones and handle employer duties, like background checks.
Strong fit, maybe, not a fit
| What to look at | Strong fit | Maybe | Not a fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| The work | Hands-on tasks from the list fill most of the shift | Some listed tasks, mixed with driving, desk work or waiting; or a company that mainly cleans private homes (ask Colby first) | Nothing on the list, like security posts, office work or delivery routes |
| The hours | Set shifts most days, all year | Seasonal or on-call work that is busy only part of the year | A few jobs here and there with no schedule |
| Crew size | Three or more people on steady shifts | One or two people, unless they work close to full time with their hands | Nobody does the hands-on work on a schedule |
| The sites | Sites the owner controls, or managers who already trust the owner | Medical offices, schools, daycares or government buildings, which may allow only some rooms | Sites that have said no to cameras, or an owner who won't ask |
| The crew | Willing, and at ease with a phone app | Willing, but new to phone apps or needs the rules in another language | Pushed into recording, or set against it |
| The owner | Decides, answers calls and follows through | Interested, but someone else decides or calls go unanswered | Wants to stage work, pad hours or record without asking the site |
| Where | In the U.S. | A U.S. company with some sites you are unsure about | Outside the U.S. |
Why steady hours matter more than size
You earn $2.00 for every accepted hour your companies record, and each company is paid for the same accepted hours. So what counts is hours that keep coming, not how big a company looks.
A 60-person company that records for one week and stops is worth less to you than a crew of five that records every night for a year. When you size up a company, ask about shifts and hours before you ask about headcount.
Example
A five-person night crew
Five people work 4-hour shifts, 5 nights a week.
That is 100 work hours a week, or about 400 work hours in four weeks.
Say half of those hours are recorded and accepted. That is about 200 accepted hours in four weeks.
Your side: about 200 accepted hours times $2.00 per accepted hour, and it keeps going for as long as the crew keeps recording.
This is an example only. Real hours depend on the crew, the sites and how much video passes review.
What janitorial companies usually look like
Cleaning is the biggest industry Colby works with today, so it helps to know how janitorial companies run.
- Night work. Many commercial crews clean offices at night, when the building is empty. Fewer people walking through means fewer pauses to keep them out of the picture.
- Small owners. Many are owner-operators with one or a few crews, and one building account can matter a lot to them. Expect them to protect those accounts, and respect it.
- Layers of contracts. A building's owner or property manager hires a cleaning contractor, and that contractor often hands some buildings to smaller subcontractors. The company whose crew does the work is the one that signs up and records.
- Permission sits with the site. The OK to record comes from the building's owner or manager. A subcontractor usually asks through the contractor that hired it.
- Mixed routes. One company might clean offices, clinics, schools and gyms. Each kind of building takes its own OK, and some say no more often (see the sites table in industries and tasks).
Questions that tell you fast
Ask these in your first conversation. The answers go straight into your notes in People.
- What work do your crews do for most of a shift?
- How many people work for you, how many hours a shift, and how many shifts a week?
- Where do they work, and who manages those places?
- Do you hire your crews yourself, or do you hand work to subcontractors?
- Who on your crew would wear the phone? Do they use phone apps?
- What language does your crew prefer?
- Are you the one who decides, or is there a partner or manager?
Questions
Can a one-person company join?
Yes. A company of one can sign up, and the same review rules apply. New companies plan for at least 200 recorded hours in their first month, so a solo operator needs close to full-time hands-on work to fit.
Does the company need its own phones?
No. Colby sends phones that are already set up, with head straps and battery packs, at no charge. Crews don't record on their own phones.
What if a company does several kinds of work?
That is fine. On your link's form an owner can pick up to 8 kinds of work from the accepted tasks list, and each recorder picks the task that matches the job in front of them.
What if the owner isn't sure the buildings will say yes?
Start anyway. The owner asks each site with the building letter, and the crew records only where the answer is yes. A no at one site does not stop the others.
Is a big company better than a small one?
Not by itself. Steady recorded hours matter more than headcount. A big company with many managers can be slow to decide, while a small owner can say yes on the first call.