> 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/let-technicians-schedule-backlog-visits.md). # Let technicians schedule backlog visits Normally the office places every backlog visit on the calendar. With technician self-scheduling turned on, technicians get an **Open** tab in the mobile app that lists eligible backlog visits they're allowed to pick up — each one shows the property and address, the work, any due date, and the visit's arrival window when one is set — and they can add one to their own schedule by choosing a date and then a time: **Pick a time** for an exact start, or **As last visit**, which places it after whatever they already have that day (it reads **First visit** when they have nothing scheduled yet). The visit lands on their calendar immediately, leaves the backlog, and shows up on the Scheduling page like any other scheduled visit. Technician self-scheduling is off until an administrator turns it on and saves. While it is off, technicians keep the existing Day, Week, and Month views and cannot list or book backlog visits. ## Turn it on and choose a default Go to **Settings → Technician App → Scheduling** and turn on **Let technicians schedule backlog visits**. Then pick who can self-schedule by default: * **All technicians** — every technician sees the business's eligible backlog visits in their Open tab. * **Specific technicians** — only the technicians you select see them. * **No technicians** — nothing is open by default; you open up visits one at a time from the visit itself (see below). Select **Save** to apply your changes. The default applies to every backlog visit that doesn't have its own override. ## Override a single visit When self-scheduling is on, the visit form (create a visit, or edit an unscheduled one) shows a **Technician self-scheduling** field for a property-based visit that needs exactly one technician and has none assigned yet. It reads **Business default** unless you change it — pick **All technicians**, **Specific technicians** (and choose them), or **No technicians** to make that one visit more or less available than the default. The field disappears once a technician is assigned; visits that need more than one technician follow the business default only. For example, with the default set to **No technicians**, you can release just the visits you choose; with the default set to **All technicians**, you can hold back a sensitive visit by setting it to **No technicians**. ## What happens when a technician books one * The visit is scheduled on the technician's chosen date, assigned to them, and removed from the backlog and from every technician's Open tab. With **As last visit** (or **First visit** on an empty day), scheduling places it after their existing visits that day. * The job's timeline records the scheduling, with the technician as the actor. * Technicians who can self-schedule see the visit's **Scheduling Instructions** alongside its Technician Instructions in their Open tab, so they can place it the way you intended. Technicians who cannot self-schedule never see Scheduling Instructions. * Visit reminders for the visit's contacts are created the same way as when the office schedules it. * Due dates are advisory: the app warns the technician when their chosen time is past the due date, but doesn't block the booking. * If two technicians go for the same visit, the first booking wins — the second sees that the visit is no longer available and the list refreshes. * Visits that require more than one technician can be self-scheduled too, at an exact time only, and every required slot is filled in the one booking: when the visit's allowed technicians exactly match the required count, that crew is booked together; when more technicians are allowed, whoever claims the visit picks their teammates. Technicians on an older app version don't see crew visits. ## Let technicians create their own visits A technician whose role includes the **Create Own Visits** permission (Settings → Roles & Permissions, under Scheduling) gets a floating teal **+** button on **Day**, **Week**, and **Month**, plus **Open** when that tab is enabled. It lets them create a visit for themselves without waiting on the office — a follow-up they arranged on site, for example. The built-in **Default Super Technician** role includes the permission; add it to a custom role to grant it to other technicians, or duplicate a default role and turn it off to withhold it. When a technician creates a visit this way, they pick an active property (search by property, address, or customer), one or more visit types, an estimated duration, a date, and either an exact time or "as last visit" placement, plus optional Technician Instructions. Essential then: * Creates a new job for that property and the visit on it, assigned to the technician, scheduled with the same rules as a self-scheduled booking (past times, Tech Unavailable blocks, and placements that would push another visit onto a different day are rejected). * Shows the job and visit on the Scheduling and Jobs pages like any other, and records both the creation and the scheduling on the job's timeline with the technician as the actor. * Leaves Scheduling Instructions, contacts, and reminders empty — the office can add them from the visit afterward. Create Own Visits is independent of this backlog setting. A technician with the permission can create new visits even when backlog self-scheduling is off. Turning backlog self-scheduling on does not grant the Create Own Visits permission. > **Where to find it:** Settings → Technician App → Scheduling; the Technician self-scheduling field on the visit form for unscheduled visits; and the Create Own Visits permission under Settings → Roles & Permissions ## Related guides * [Work with the scheduling backlog](/customers-and-work/scheduling/work-with-the-scheduling-backlog.md) * [Create a new visit](/customers-and-work/scheduling/create-a-new-visit.md) * [Create visits for many properties at once](/customers-and-work/scheduling/create-visits-for-many-properties-at-once.md) * [Schedule an open visit from the mobile app](/field-operations/mobile/schedule-an-open-visit.md) --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. 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