> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://learn.withessential.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://learn.withessential.com/customers-and-work/scheduling/exact-time-vs-estimated-duration-technician-count-and-due-date.md).

# Exact time vs. estimated, duration, technician count, and due date

Every visit carries an estimated duration and a number of technicians, set near the bottom of step 1. Duration defaults to 30 minutes. Click the duration field and type any duration in ordinary shorthand, such as `45 min`, `1.5 hours`, or `2 hr 15 min`; the placeholder in the empty field shows examples, and the dropdown always lists **15 min**, **30 min**, **1 hr**, **1 hr 30 min**, **2 hr**, **3 hr**, **4 hr**, **6 hr**, and **8 hr**. It also adds up to three other durations your business schedules most often, counting visits from the past year and upcoming ones, for at most 12 options. Options, including a custom selected duration, are sorted from shortest to longest. You can still type any duration from 5 minutes to 16 hours. When the property and visit types are filled in, the form may pre-fill duration and technician count based on past visits at that property; a sparkle icon next to the label explains the suggestion, and it disappears once you change the value yourself.

Number of technicians can be 1 through 6, and defaults to 1. If the number of technicians actually assigned to the visit doesn't match this count, the visit card shows a warning noting the mismatch. You can also set an optional Due Date here, which records when the work should be completed by without putting the visit on the calendar.

How the visit gets a time is chosen on step 2. The Exact time option schedules a precise start the customer is promised: you pick a technician (or several), a date, and a start time. The Estimated option instead places an approximate visit; you pick one technician and a date, and the visit goes after that technician's last exact or estimated visit that day, including commute time. On an empty day, it starts from business hours with the drive to the visit included.

The Exact time and Estimated choices are available on step 2 for new visits, existing visits, and backlog visits dropped onto Month view. Existing visits open with their saved choice selected. Estimated requires one technician; when editing a visit with several technicians, select one technician before switching to Estimated. From step 1 you can also press Save to Backlog to create the visit with no date at all, leaving it unscheduled with just its estimated duration until you place it later.

For an exact visit, you choose the start time and Essential computes the end time from the duration. For an estimated visit, Essential estimates the timing from the technician's route, prior location, commute time, and visit duration. If you are not ready to choose a time, save the visit to the backlog first, then drag it onto a technician's schedule later.

Once a visit is scheduled, you can still switch it between exact and estimated from its popover: click the **Exact** or **Estimated** chip next to the time and pick the other option. Switching to Exact keeps the current start time. Switching to Estimated places it after that technician's last visit on the same day, with commute time included. Past-day visits stay locked. After clock-in, changing timing requires the rescheduling-after-clock-in setting. Estimated requires a single technician.

> **Where to find it:** Duration, number of technicians, and due date sit at the bottom of step 1 (Add Details). The Exact time and Estimated choices appear at the top of step 2 (Choose start time), including when editing an existing visit. The Exact/Estimated chip in the visit popover also changes its timing.

## Related guides

* [Schedule, reschedule, or reassign a visit](/customers-and-work/scheduling/schedule-reschedule-or-reassign-a-visit.md)
* [Drag and drop to schedule, move, reassign, and handle conflicts](/customers-and-work/scheduling/drag-and-drop-to-schedule-move-reassign-and-handle-conflicts.md)
* [Add work orders (visit types) and contacts with reminders to a visit](/customers-and-work/scheduling/add-work-orders-visit-types-and-contacts-with-reminders-to-a-visit.md)
* [Create a new visit](/customers-and-work/scheduling/create-a-new-visit.md)
* [Deleting a scheduled visit is permanent](/customers-and-work/scheduling/deleting-a-scheduled-visit-is-permanent.md)
* [Filter and sort the backlog](/customers-and-work/scheduling/filter-and-sort-the-backlog.md)
* [Reserve inventory, flag expected asset group inspections, and two kinds of notes](/customers-and-work/scheduling/reserve-inventory-flag-expected-asset-inspections-and-two-kinds-of-notes.md)


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