How to Start an Answering Service

Start an Answering Service the Right Way

You’re drawn to the idea of running a calm, well-run phone desk for busy clients. Good. Keep that feeling. It will carry you through the early days when you’re learning systems, building scripts, and taking the first calls yourself. This guide walks you through each step, in plain English, with realistic examples and guardrails so you avoid the potholes that trip up new owners.

We’ll keep the tone friendly and direct. We’ll use ranges for costs and explain what drives them, because prices move and every market is different. Whenever a step is local—licenses, taxes, timelines—I’ll nudge you to get quotes and confirm with your local offices.

Make Sure This Business Fits You

An answering service rewards patience, clear speech, and an eye for detail. You’ll spend your time building call flows, training scripts, and tracking response times. It’s steady work that can scale if you keep quality high. Before you buy a single headset, ask yourself what kind of workday you want and whether you enjoy service work where people call you with urgency.

If you’re still feeling the pull, take an hour to read a broad look at what starting any business involves. It will help you spot blind spots you didn’t know you had. A practical place to start is the site’s inside look at owning a business and the high-level steps to start a business. Use those as a quick warm-up, then come back here and get to work.

Choose Your Niche and Offer

Not all callers are alike. A dental practice wants appointment support and emergency triage. A home services company wants short, accurate message taking and fast dispatch. The tighter your niche, the easier it is to design scripts, train staff, and price with confidence. Start narrow and widen later.

Who You Serve

List three audiences you understand or can learn quickly. For example: medical practices, legal firms, property managers, home services, or e-commerce stores. Then write down their top three call types. You’re looking for patterns—after-hours coverage, overflow during lunch, appointment reminders, order status, or emergency calls.

What You Offer and How You Price It

Your offer is a promise: quick pickup, friendly tone, accurate notes, and clean handoffs. The price should match the value you provide and the resources you use. Keep your model simple at first, then add options as you learn your real costs and client behavior.

• Per-minute usage with a small base plan
• Per-call bundles with overage rates
• Tiers that include SLAs, after-hours, and basic dispatch

Run a few “what-ifs.” How many minutes per client per month? What’s your average handle time? What does that mean for staffing? You’ll use those numbers again when you forecast revenue.

Pricing is a skill. If you want a deeper primer, the site’s guide to pricing your services can help you avoid undercharging in the first year.

Map the Money: Costs, Ranges, and Drivers

Costs swing by city, team size, and technology. That’s why ranges are more honest than single numbers. Use them to make a first pass, then get quotes from vendors and local offices to firm things up.

Startup Costs (One-Time)

Most solo or home-based setups land in a lean range, while a small office with multiple operators lands higher. Sensible ranges look like this: lean/home-based in the low thousands to low five figures; small office with a few seats in the low-to-mid five figures; larger, multi-seat setups higher still. Your biggest drivers are furniture and headsets, computers and monitors, VOIP hardware or softphones, PBX or contact-center software, initial branding and website, and a first push of marketing. You can trim costs by buying reliable used equipment, starting with softphones, and building your website in phases.

Monthly Operating Costs

Expect a base band that rises as you add seats and minutes. Solo or very lean teams sit in the low-to-mid four figures. Small teams of three to five operators often sit in the high four to mid five figures. The drivers are wages, payroll taxes, manager hours (including your own), telecom minutes, software seats, internet, modest rent if you’re in an office, and ongoing marketing. Track these early. If you don’t measure, you can’t price well.

Revenue Scenarios

Forecast with simple math. Multiply clients by average monthly spend. Early plans often start with a modest client count at a low spend range and grow to a larger base with a mid spend range. Your exact figures depend on your niche and service level. Keep your scenarios conservative and your promises realistic. You’ll sleep better.

Tools: Pick for Fit, Not Hype

The market is full of phone systems and ticket tools. Don’t buy everything. Make a shortlist and test. Your essentials are reliable VOIP or a hosted call-center platform, scripting and notes, CRM or a light help desk, secure file storage, and reporting. Judge options on call quality, uptime, ease of use, integrations, security posture, support quality, and total cost over a year. Ask vendors for a live demo and a 14- to 30-day trial. Keep records of what worked and what didn’t.

Give Your Business a Legal Home

Now you’ll make it official. This part is mostly paperwork, but it sets the foundation you’ll lean on when money starts flowing. When in doubt, take an hour with a small-business attorney or CPA. It’s cheaper than fixing a bad choice later.

Set Up the Structure and Name

1. Choose a legal structure. Read up on differences between a sole proprietorship, an LLC, and a corporation, then confirm with a pro. A good primer is the guide on choosing a business structure and the comparison of LLC vs. sole proprietorship.
2. Pick a business name and check availability. Search your state registry and domain. If you’ll operate under a different name than your legal one, learn how to register a business name.
3. Register the business with your state. Many states let you file online. The site’s overview of how to register a business lays out the sequence so you don’t miss a step.

Handle the Tax Basics

1. Get a federal tax ID (EIN). You’ll need it for banking and payroll. See the quick guide on getting a business tax ID.
2. Register with your state for payroll if you hire. This often includes unemployment insurance and state income-tax withholding where applicable. The exact offices vary by state, so check your state’s website and call if anything is unclear.
3. Keep clean records from day one. Create a simple chart of accounts and store receipts in one place. You’ll thank yourself at tax time.

Licenses and Local Rules

Most answering services need a general business license from the city or county. A special “call center” license is uncommon in the U.S., but some jurisdictions have extra rules for telemarketing or outbound campaigns. Because local rules change, call your city or county licensing office and describe your services in plain words. Ask what you need for lawful operation. Write down who you spoke with and when.

Compliance You Can’t Ignore

Phones mean law. You don’t need to become a lawyer; you do need to know what landscape you’re operating in. When a topic below touches your model, write a short policy in human language and train your team to follow it. Then revisit it twice a year.

Call Recording and Consent

Some states allow one-party consent to record calls; others require all parties to consent. If you plan to record for quality and training, build consent language into your scripts and voicemail greetings. Keep a spreadsheet of consent text by client and state. When in doubt, get all-party consent. It’s cleaner and builds trust.

Medical Calls: HIPAA and BAAs

If you take messages that include protected health information for a covered entity, you’re a business associate under HIPAA. You’ll need a business associate agreement (BAA) with each covered client, plus sensible safeguards: access controls, audit logs, secure storage, and a way to report incidents. If you don’t handle PHI, say so in your contract and train staff to avoid collecting it.

Data Privacy for Non-Medical Work

U.S. state privacy laws are expanding. Handle personal data with care, minimize what you collect, and honor client instructions. GDPR applies if you target or monitor people in the EU or have an EU establishment. If your market is strictly U.S. and you don’t target the EU, note that in your privacy policy and keep it that way unless you expand.

Outbound Calls: TCPA/TSR and Do-Not-Call

If you run outbound campaigns—sales calls, surveys, or promotional texts—learn the basics of the federal Telemarketing Sales Rule and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Keep a do-not-call process, record consent where required, and make sure your clients give you lawful call lists. If you don’t do outbound, state that clearly in your offers.

Payments and PCI DSS

Any time you accept card payments, you must handle card data safely. The simplest path is to use reputable processors and never store full card numbers on your systems. Follow your processor’s PCI DSS guidance and complete the short self-assessment they provide.

Caller ID Reputation and STIR/SHAKEN

Carriers use standards to fight spoofed calls. Work with a voice provider that implements these standards so your calls are less likely to be flagged. Register your numbers, use honest caller ID, and avoid practices that trigger spam labels. This isn’t red tape—it’s how you make sure clients can reach their customers.

Build Your Infrastructure

Start simple and reliable. Then add redundancy. If a storm knocks out your internet, you still want calls to reach a human. Build that safety into your setup from day one.

Phones, Internet, and Redundancy

1. Choose your voice setup. Many owners start with a hosted VOIP platform and softphones. Test call quality at different times of day. Put call recordings and logs behind passwords with role-based access.
2. Double up your internet. Keep a primary ISP and a backup—hotspot, 5G router, or a second provider. Set up automatic failover if your router supports it.
3. Power backup. Use UPS units for modems, routers, and workstations. For longer outages, a small generator can keep a compact office running.
4. Number management. Keep a clean inventory of numbers, caller IDs, and routes per client. Label everything. Future you will cheer.

Workstations and Workspace

Agents need quiet, comfort, and two monitors. Headsets matter more than chairs in this business, but don’t neglect ergonomics. If you run from home, choose a room with a door and treat it like an office. If you lease space, pick a location with stable power, good internet options, and easy parking for staff. For a deeper look at practical site choices, skim the guide on startup considerations before you sign anything.

Business Continuity

Write a one-page plan for outages. Who forwards lines? Where do agents log in? What is the maximum acceptable downtime for each client? Store this plan where everyone can find it, and run a short drill each quarter. It takes fifteen minutes and can save a major account.

Create a Brand and a Website That Converts

Your brand is clarity. Clients don’t buy minutes; they buy peace of mind. Use a name and visual identity that feel calm and competent. Keep the message short and specific. “We pick up in three rings and send clean notes to the right person, every time.”

Your website should do a few things well: explain your offer, show industries you serve, let people request a quote, and make it easy to talk to a human. If you’re building it yourself or hiring help, the site’s guide on how to build a website will help you decide what to do now and what to stage for later. Add a simple page for each niche you serve and include a short, plain-English SLA so prospects know what “good” looks like with you.

Keep marketing simple at first. Pick one channel—local partnerships, SEO, or paid search—and commit to it for ninety days. When you’re ready to map it out, the primer on creating a marketing plan can keep you focused on the few moves that matter.

Plan the Business You Can Actually Run

A good plan is short and true. Write one to convince yourself, not a bank. Outline your niche, offer, pricing logic, first-year targets, and the three risks that could hurt you. Then list what you’ll do if each risk shows up. If you later seek funding, you can expand this into a formal plan with the site’s guide to writing a business plan.

Open the Right Accounts and Keep Money Clean

Separate business and personal money from day one. Open a dedicated business account and keep all income and expenses there. It makes taxes easier and your books cleaner. If you’re choosing a bank, the walkthrough on how to choose a business bank can help you compare fees and tools. When you’re ready to accept cards, read the guide to merchant accounts so you understand rates, statements, and your obligations under PCI DSS.

For a quick refresher on setup, you can also check the focused piece on opening a business bank account. None of this is glamorous. All of it is freedom.

Funding: Bootstrap First, Then Decide

Most owners can start lean with savings and early cash flow. If you want to move faster—more seats, a small office, larger campaigns—you might look at a modest loan. Keep your ask small and tied to clear purchases. If you go that route, read the guide on how to get a business loan so you know what lenders want to see and how to compare offers. The right time to borrow is when you can put the money to work next week and repay it from profit, not hope.

Protect the Business: Insurance

Insurance is a backstop, not a sales pitch. Start with general liability. Add professional liability (errors and omissions) because clients rely on your accuracy. Consider cyber coverage if you store sensitive information or rely on a cloud stack. Talk to a broker who understands service firms and describe your actual work. A quick primer on business insurance will help you know what to ask for in your first call.

Run the Day-to-Day Like a Pro

This is where you earn renewal checks. Build simple systems, then keep them. Your clients will feel the difference in your first week together.

Client Onboarding

1. Discovery. Ask for call types, after-hours needs, escalation contacts, and what “done” means for them. Clarify what you should never say and what you must always confirm.
2. Documentation. Create a one-page client profile with scripts, hours, and handoff instructions. Store it where agents can find it fast.
3. Sandbox and test. Run a day of test calls with the client and tweak scripts. Fix small things now before they become big things later.
4. Kickoff. Start with a 30-day trial. Meet at day 7 and day 30 to review call quality, response times, and small annoyances. Keep notes.

Scripts, SLAs, and Quality

Write scripts that sound like humans. Keep them short. Add decision forks for emergencies and high-value callers. Promise what you can measure: pickup time, message quality, and response to escalations. Keep a simple quality log and audit a few calls each week. Your goal is steady improvement, not perfection.

Scheduling and Coverage

Coverage is math and kindness. Give agents schedules they can keep and back them up with a float plan for sick days. If you promise 24/7, build a weekend rota before you sign the contract that requires it. Stagger breaks, and write down who covers lunch, who covers after five, and who takes urgent overnight calls.

Numbers That Tell the Truth

Track a handful of metrics and you’ll see problems before clients do.

• Average speed of answer
• Abandon rate
• Handle time and after-call work
• First-call resolution or clean handoff
• Client satisfaction notes

Review these weekly. Share wins in your team chat and fix one small thing at a time. Momentum beats heroics.

Hire and Train With Care

Good agents are your brand. Hire for warmth, clarity, and steadiness. You can train the rest. Start small and learn how you like to teach. When you’re ready, the site’s guide on how and when to hire can help you decide between employees and contractors and how to pace your growth.

Your First Hires

1. Define the role. Write a short description that matches your actual work: call handling, note taking, and client updates.
2. Create a short tryout. Use a script and a few mock calls. Listen for tone, clarity, and follow-through.
3. Onboard with purpose. Give them a tight checklist: tools access, scripts, privacy basics, and how to get help mid-call.
4. Coach every week. Ten minutes can change a habit. Praise specifics. Fix one behavior at a time.

Sell Simply and Grow Steadily

Sales is service in a different jacket. Offer a short discovery call, a clear proposal, and a 30-day trial. Keep your pricing simple and your promises few. Ask for a referral when you earn it, not before. For general growth strategy, the site’s piece on expanding by buying or building can spark ideas once you have steady cash flow. And if you ever consider franchising or joining one, skim the overview on owning a franchise so you know what you’re signing up for.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Most mistakes come from rushing. Slow down for these and you’ll save money.

• Underpricing plans and eating overages
• Recording without clear consent
• Complicated software before stable basics
• Promising 24/7 without a schedule
• Skipping written client handoffs

If you like cautionary tales, keep this short guide nearby: mistakes new owners make. It’s a quick gut check when you’re about to say yes to something you shouldn’t.

Costs, Ranges, and Getting Quotes

Let’s bring the money talk home. For startup costs, think in bands based on your setup: lean/home-based in the low thousands to low five figures; small office with a few operators in the low-to-mid five figures; larger multi-seat setups higher. For monthly costs, expect a base band in the low-to-mid four figures for a solo or very lean team, rising to the high four to mid five figures as you add operators and minutes. Revenue follows clients and usage: a handful of clients on small plans won’t cover a full team; dozens of clients on sane tiers will. These are directional, not promises. Your local quotes will beat guesswork every time.

Call three vendors in each category—VOIP, internet, software, insurance—and ask for written quotes. Do the same with your city or county for business licenses. Use those numbers to adjust your plan. If the math doesn’t work, change the plan, not the math.

Your First 30 Days

When you finish this article, momentum matters. Here’s a clean path for your first month.

Week 1: Decide and Design

1. Pick your niche and offer. Write one page. Share it with a mentor who will tell you the truth.
2. Choose your structure and name. Start the paperwork so you’re not tempted to cut corners later.
3. Shortlist tools. Book demos with two VOIP providers and one help desk.

Week 2: Build the Core

1. Open your business account. Route every dollar through it.
2. Draft scripts. Create one standard script and one emergency flow for your chosen niche.
3. Stand up a simple website. One page is fine if it is clear and fast.

Week 3: Test in the Real World

1. Run test calls. Call your service from three phones and at different times. Fix what you hear.
2. Write mini-policies. One page each for recording consent, privacy, and outages. Train yourself to follow them.
3. Set pricing tiers. Keep it simple. Plan for overage charges that reflect your actual costs.

Week 4: Get Your First Clients

1. Reach out to five prospects you can help now. Offer a 30-day trial with clear terms.
2. Onboard the first client. Document their profile and run a half-day sandbox.
3. Review and adjust. One hour on Friday: what worked, what didn’t, what to try next.

Where to Go From Here

You now have a realistic map. Keep your operation small until your systems feel boring—in a good way. Then add seats and clients with confidence. If you want a quick master checklist to stay organized, bookmark the site’s new business checklist. And if this all feels exciting but big, read the short piece on building the kind of drive that sustains you. Passion doesn’t replace a plan; it fuels it.

Build something calm and dependable. Answer on time. Speak with care. Leave every caller better than you found them. That’s the business.

101 Tips For Running a Answering Service

These tips are a quick-reference playbook you can use at any stage—from planning to scaling. Skim the categories, pick the actions that fit your goals, and move. Each tip is short, practical, and built for first-time U.S. entrepreneurs who want clarity without fluff.

What to Do Before Starting

1. Validate demand by calling 25–50 local businesses and asking how they handle off-hours calls and overflow.
2. Define your niche (medical, trades, legal, real estate) so your scripts, pricing, and training fit real needs.
3. Draft a one-page business model: target clients, value promise, pricing, key costs, and your growth goals.
4. Estimate call volume using realistic scenarios: peak season, after-hours, weekends, and holidays.
5. Choose your service stack early (telephony, CRM, ticketing, quality monitoring) to avoid patchwork later.
6. Map all data you’ll touch—names, phone numbers, payment details—and decide how you’ll secure each field.
7. Price test three plans (starter, growth, premium) with 3–5 prospects and adjust based on objections you hear.
8. Write a plain-English list of services and limits so you don’t overpromise: message taking, patching, scheduling, escalation.
9. Calculate your agent cost per call and your target gross margin; use that to set per-minute and package pricing.
10. Decide your operating hours and holiday coverage before your first sales call so you can quote with confidence.
11. Line up a HIPAA-ready workflow if you’ll serve healthcare (secure messaging, BAAs, restricted access).
12. Create a 90-day launch plan: five weekly sales activities, two marketing actions, and one process upgrade per week.

What Successful Answering Service Owners Do

13. Specialize first, then expand—own one niche before adding another.
14. Measure everything daily: calls offered, handled, average handle time, hold time, abandon rate, and first-call resolution.
15. Run a tight script library with version control and owner sign-off for each client.
16. Hold 15-minute standups per shift to review yesterday’s misses and today’s priorities.
17. Record and review calls for coaching, not punishment; celebrate great moments as often as you flag issues.
18. Give clients a single point of contact who knows their account and escalations.
19. Productize add-ons (after-hours dispatch, appointment setting, bilingual coverage) to grow account value.
20. Share quarterly scorecards with clients: key metrics, wins, and a simple improvement plan.
21. Maintain a talent bench by hiring ahead of busy seasons and cross-training.
22. Keep a running backlog of tiny fixes (script clarifications, greeting tweaks) and ship them weekly.

Running the Business (Operations, Staffing, SOPs)

23. Document your call flow from ring to wrap so every agent handles calls the same way.
24. Create a greeting style guide with phonetics for tough names and industries.
25. Build standard scripts with placeholders and conditional branches for common scenarios.
26. Set staffing by interval (15-minute blocks) using historical or forecasted volume to cut waits and abandons.
27. Use a shift-bidding or preferences system to match coverage with agent strengths and availability.
28. Implement quality assurance forms with clear scoring and examples for each criterion.
29. Train on tone: smile in voice, pace, and plain language—customers hear calm.
30. Provide escalation trees per client with phone, SMS, and email paths and time-to-respond targets.
31. Standardize note-taking: key fields, abbreviations, and do-not-use terms.
32. Create a “dead air” policy: narrate actions (“I’m pulling up your file now”) to reassure callers.
33. Set handle time targets by call type; coach for accuracy first, speed second.
34. Use dual-headset coaching so leaders can whisper guidance during live calls.
35. Build a knowledge base with searchable FAQs per client; tag updates by date and author.
36. Rotate agents through specialty pods (medical, trades, legal) to deepen knowledge and coverage.
37. Schedule regular disaster-recovery drills: power loss, carrier outage, platform failure.
38. Maintain call-recording retention rules and secure deletion schedules.
39. Separate test and production scripts to avoid mistakes.
40. Run weekly script audits to remove outdated steps and reduce handle time.
41. Use a ticketing system for client requests; nothing gets lost in email.
42. Align incentives with service goals—bonus for quality, responsiveness, and adherence, not just speed.
43. Build a shadow-shift program for new agents to observe top performers before taking calls.
44. Post clear desk standards: headset checks, status codes, break timing, and logoff procedures.

What to Know About the Industry (Rules, Seasons, Supply, Risks)

45. Expect spikes during storms, flu seasons, and holidays; plan staffing and overflow routes.
46. Follow call-recording consent rules; some states require two-party consent.
47. Understand telemarketing restrictions if you offer outbound or callbacks; maintain do-not-call practices.
48. If taking payments, map to recognized security standards and never store card data in notes.
49. Healthcare clients require privacy safeguards and signed agreements for data handling.
50. Review carrier redundancy options; single-carrier setups are a single point of failure.
51. Price pressure is common; compete on reliability, specialization, and responsiveness, not the lowest minute.
52. Expect vendor lock-in risks with some platforms; negotiate data export and portability.
53. Insurance matters: consider general liability, cyber, and errors & omissions appropriate to your exposure.
54. Keep disaster-recovery contacts current for power, internet, and telephony providers.

Marketing (Local, Digital, Offers, Community)

55. Build landing pages by niche with sample scripts and outcomes your audience cares about.
56. Offer a simple “try us for a week” pilot with clear scope and success metrics.
57. Use short client stories with measurable results (e.g., fewer missed jobs, more booked appointments).
58. Publish response-time and answer-rate stats to demonstrate reliability.
59. Network where your buyers gather—trade groups for medical offices, contractors, or law practices.
60. Create a referral program with credits for both the referrer and the new client.
61. Partner with software vendors (scheduling apps, CRMs) to co-market integrated workflows.
62. Run targeted local ads during after-hours when business owners feel the pain of missed calls.
63. Offer bilingual coverage as a differentiator in markets that need it.
64. Host “call readiness” workshops for small businesses on scripts, on-call schedules, and escalation planning.
65. Add a pricing calculator on your site so prospects can self-qualify and start a conversation.
66. Capture leads with a “missed-call audit” that analyzes their current process and shows savings.

Dealing With Customers to Build Relationships (Trust, Education, Retention)

67. Start every new account with a script-building workshop and confirm final scripts in writing.
68. Share a first-30-days plan with check-ins at day 7, 14, and 30.
69. Send call highlights weekly—good saves, common questions, and suggested script tweaks.
70. Provide an on-call calendar template to reduce escalation confusion.
71. Offer secure client portals for messages, recordings, and status updates.
72. Train clients on how to request changes and what turnaround times to expect.
73. Proactively flag repeated caller pain points and propose fixes.
74. Conduct quarterly business reviews with simple trend charts and next steps.

Customer Service (Policies, Guarantees, Feedback Loops)

75. Publish a service-level target (e.g., 80% of calls answered in 20 seconds) and report against it.
76. Offer a clear error-credit policy for documented misses that were within your control.
77. Provide multiple feedback channels—email, portal form, and scheduled calls.
78. Close the loop on every client ticket with what changed and when.
79. Maintain a red-flag list for critical clients requiring priority handling.
80. Use sentiment checks in quality reviews to spot tone issues early.
81. Share a “how we handle emergencies” one-pager with clients so they know what to expect.
82. Survey clients twice a year with three questions: satisfaction, likelihood to recommend, and top improvement.

Plans for Sustainability (Waste, Sourcing, Long-Term Viability)

83. Choose energy-efficient hardware and enable power-saving profiles on devices.
84. Use cloud platforms with uptime SLAs to reduce on-premises hardware and energy draw.
85. Encourage remote work options to widen talent pools and cut commute emissions.
86. Standardize headset and device lifecycles; refurbish or recycle responsibly.
87. Consolidate vendors to reduce duplication and simplify security oversight.
88. Track and reduce rework (repeat calls, callbacks) to save time and energy.

Staying Informed With Industry Trends (Sources, Signals, Cadence)

89. Review federal communications and consumer-protection updates monthly for rule changes that affect calling.
90. Follow security guidance and alerts; update your controls accordingly.
91. Join at least one reputable call center or customer engagement trade group for best practices.
92. Monitor carrier announcements for numbering, SMS, and spam-filter policy shifts.
93. Track client-industry changes—like scheduling tech in healthcare or dispatch tools in trades—to keep integrations current.
94. Keep a “next-tech” watchlist (AI call summaries, voice analytics) and test with a small pilot each quarter.

Adapting to Change (Seasonality, Shocks, Competition, Tech)

95. Build a cross-trained reserve team to cover sudden surges or outages.
96. Maintain a second carrier or failover route and test it quarterly.
97. Create fast-swap scripts for emergencies so agents can pivot without confusion.
98. Run post-incident reviews within 48 hours and document fixes with owners and deadlines.
99. Watch competitor messaging quarterly; respond by tightening your promise, not copying theirs.
100. Use modular contracts so clients can scale up or down without friction during seasonal swings.

What Not to Do (Issues and Mistakes to Avoid)

101. Don’t chase every client request without a scope check—protect quality, privacy, and your margins.

Sources
SBA, FCC, FTC, HHS, IRS, NIST, ISO, SHRM, PACE, NAEO