> 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/field-operations/mobile/schedule-an-open-visit.md). # Schedule an open visit from the mobile app If your business has technician self-scheduling turned on, the Visits screen shows an **Open** tab next to Day, Week, and Month. It lists unscheduled visits your office has made available for you to pick up, split into two views: **Batch visits** — visits released to you as a batch (for example, every building on one campus), grouped under the batch's name with its date range and how many are left — and **Other visits**, the general open pool. The Open tab starts on Batch visits whenever you have batch work. Each card shows the property and address (with the distance from your current location when available), the work to be done, and — when the office has promised the customer one — a bold **Arrive between** window (it also appears on the booking sheet; pick a start inside it). Batch cards show the batch's window ("Schedule for Aug 3 – Aug 7", plus its hours — "9 AM – 3 PM" — when the office set a timed window) in place of a due date; other cards show any due date, in red once it has passed. The Open tab needs a connection to load and to book — open visits update live so two technicians can't book the same work. If you go offline after loading it, the list stays visible read-only with a banner showing when it was loaded; reconnect to book. Both views share the controls above the list: a search box that matches the property's name or address, sorting by **Closest**, due date, duration, or newest, filters by visit type or distance, and a list/map switch. Closest is the default whenever your business uses technician GPS; until a location fix arrives (or if you do not share your location), visits are shown by due date. The Day view also offers a List/Map switch while self-scheduling is enabled. ## Book a visit 1. Tap a visit in the **Open** tab. 2. The **Date** starts on today — or, for a batch visit, on the batch window's first day. You can pick an earlier day, but a red warning flags a date before the batch's start (and one after the due date). Then choose a **Time**: **As last visit** (or **First visit** when you have nothing scheduled that day) places the visit after your existing visits that day, while **Pick a time** keeps the start you choose and shows the resulting time block based on the visit's estimated duration. 3. Tap **Add to my schedule**. You're taken to your Day view on the day you picked, with the visit on your calendar. From there it works like any other visit — On My Way, clock in, photos, and the rest. A couple of advisories can appear before you confirm — they warn you but don't block the booking: * **After the due date** — your chosen time is past the visit's due date. * **Overlaps your … visit** — the time block overlaps another visit on your schedule. ## Visits that need a crew A visit that needs more than one technician shows a tech count on its card and books at an exact time only. When the visit already names its exact crew, booking schedules all of you together — the sheet tells you who. Otherwise, choose the required teammates in the sheet before confirming; if a teammate's schedule conflicts at that time, the app names them so you can pick a different time or crew. Everyone booked sees the visit on their own schedule immediately. ## If the visit is no longer available Open visits are first come, first served. If another technician books the visit first — or the office schedules or restricts it while you're looking — the app tells you it's no longer available and refreshes the list. The Open tab needs a connection to refresh, and booking always confirms with the server. > **Where to find it:** Visits screen → Open tab (only visible when your business has technician self-scheduling turned on and you're included) ## Related guides * [See your visits in the mobile app](/field-operations/mobile/see-your-visits.md) * [Use On My Way, Clock In, and Clock Out](/field-operations/mobile/on-my-way-clock-in-clock-out.md) * [Let technicians schedule backlog visits](/customers-and-work/scheduling/let-technicians-schedule-backlog-visits.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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