Angie Becker interacts with their original remote assistant, Emilia. Photos courtesy of Lakeline Vision Source.
Hiring strategy is the first step in having success with remote assistants
By Angie Becker, CPO, ABO
Feb. 2, 2026
When we first experimented with a remote assistant in 2023, I didn’t know exactly what would happen. We knew that our phone and front desk teams were overwhelmed. They were carrying too many different tasks and our in-office people were getting pulled off what mattered most.
Our first remote assistant hire exceeded our expectations. She is motivated and understands our team. Virtually, she is truly a part of it, and we consider her a team member.
We dove back into remote assistant hiring in 2024, when she planned to go on maternity leave. But it didn’t go as smoothly the second time around.
It was a mixed experience with some hiring hiccups. Yet it left me with a lot of knowledge and lessons learned. As a result, I’ve finetuned our remote assistant hiring and training to lead to more successful outcomes.
Today, we have four remote assistants who are playing their part in helping our practice thrive. Here’s the process we follow at Lakeline Vision Source.
HIRING: THE FIRST STEP
Take time to hire the right people for business. You may desperately need the help, but rushing into hiring doesn’t usually end well.
Start with someone who has the right heart and work ethic, you can teach most of the optics-related details.
HOW WE HIRE
After three years of remote assistant experience, we’ve developed this repeatable process.
Use a sourcing provider. We work with Teem and provide detailed brief about the role we are hiring for. It’s not just skills but the personality and values the role requires.
Shortlist approximately four candidates. We let Teem pull and screen candidates. We get a small curated group, which is less overwhelming to handle.
Use a speed-dating style of interviews. Keep it quick and simple with video interviews to feel out the fit. You’ll know quickly if someone matches.
Check out references and background. Ask about reliability, previous remote work habits and examples of initiative.
Designate a trial period. When you do select someone to hire, pay close attention to their attitude and work style in that trial time frame. Be prepared to let someone go if it is evident it won’t work out.
Edwin, Oscar and Mauricio are current members of the remote assistant phone team at Lakeline Vision Source.
REMOTE ASSISTANTS BRING MANY BENEFITS
Adding remote assistants has been a cost-effective way for our office to shift the workload for our in-office staff. Once our remote assistants finished their training, we found many positives.
An improvement in efficiency, almost immediately. You could feel the weight being lifted off our back-office team. There was a level of stress alleviated without the constant ring of phones in the building.
Our staff in the office interacts more with our patients. Callers are important, but we want to really wow our patients with the time we spend face-to-face with them during their visit.
Additional assistance without overflowing our space. While we need additional people, there’s only so much room in our office.
Financial flexibility. Hiring remote assistants allows us the ability to designate some funds back to the staff in the form of raises or other office investments.
KEEP A POSITIVE MINDSET
We didn’t strike gold every time. However, I learned from every experience. The hiring process is faster and more efficient now, and I am homed in on the qualities I am looking for that can’t be trained.
Our remote assistants start by handling routine and contact lens appointments with some phone and text communication with patients. Our in-office phone team still manages certain types of calls. These responsibilities may shift down the road as our remote assistants become savvier in our work. Even with just a few types of calls moved over to our remote assistants, our team felt relief.
START TODAY
Help take some of the workload off your in-office staff. Start today with the first step: write down some details to develop a hiring brief. Focus on values and examples of desired behavior.
The next step in remote assistant success is training. Set yourself up for a positive outcome with a plan in place. I look forward to sharing specific details on our training process in my next article.
Read more on staff management here.
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Angie Becker, CPO, ABO, is a patient coordinator at Lakeline Vision Source in Cedar Park, Texas. To contact her: Angie@lakelinevision.com |
