> 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, the first lines of the office's Technician Instructions, 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, asset group type, distance, or technician-visible Job custom fields, and a list/map switch. Tap **Filter**, choose the field you want to filter, then select one or more values. Longer value lists include a search box so you can type part of a value instead of scrolling through the full list. A Job field is offered when the office set its visibility to **Back office + technicians** and at least one current Open visit has a value for it. You can select several values from one field (a visit may match any of them) and combine multiple fields to narrow the list further. 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. ![Filtering Open visits by a Job custom field](https://3838208579-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Flu1pgNH0CrkCPslG8suQ%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-b21c8f3f3bf211ef658bbe759eca99fbe8b04814%2Fmobile-open-job-custom-field-filter.png?alt=media) ## Book a visit 1. Read the **Scheduling Instructions** preview on the visit's Open card, then tap the visit. The booking sheet shows the full **Technician Instructions** and **Scheduling Instructions** — the office's notes on how and when the visit should be placed — so you can pick a time that fits them. Empty instructions are omitted. 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. ## Create your own visit If your role includes the **Create Own Visits** permission (the **Default Super Technician** role has it), **Day**, **Week**, and **Month** show a floating teal **+** button in the bottom-right corner. It also appears on **Open** when backlog scheduling is enabled. Create Own Visits works even when backlog scheduling is off. Use it when you need to put a visit on your own schedule that the office has not created — a callback you arranged on site, for example. 1. Tap **+**. The **New visit** sheet opens. 2. Under **Property**, type at least two characters of the property's name, address, or customer and tap the property in the results. Only active properties with an address are offered. Tap **Change** to pick a different one. 3. Choose one or more **Visit types** (the work you'll do) and an **Estimated duration**. Pick a suggested duration or type your own, such as `45 min`, `1 hr 15 min`, or `2.5 hours`. Durations can be 5 minutes to 16 hours, in whole minutes. 4. Pick the **Date** and **Time** exactly as when booking an open visit: **As last visit** / **First visit** places it after whatever you already have that day, or **Pick a time** for an exact start. The same overlap advisory appears if the time collides with another of your visits. 5. Optionally add **Technician Instructions** for yourself. 6. Tap **Add to my schedule**. Essential creates a new job for the property with your visit on it, assigned to you, and takes you to your Day view on that date. The office sees the job and visit on the Scheduling and Jobs pages like any other, with the job's timeline showing that you created and scheduled it. The button needs a connection and the Create Own Visits permission. It does not require the business setting for booking backlog visits. If a save is unconfirmed, use **Retry original request** to check its outcome without creating a second visit. The request stays on this device if you close the form. If the app cannot restore your last visit, tap **View visits** to check whether it is already on your schedule. If it is missing, reopen **+**, choose **Start over**, and confirm to open a fresh form. Starting over does not remove a visit that was already created. ## 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). The **+** button appears on Day, Week, and Month when your role has the Create Own Visits permission, and on Open when that tab is enabled. ## 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) When creating a visit, review any suggestions above the property. **Add to visit** includes suggested work; **Include these inspections** adds the suggested asset groups. If inspections are not needed, ask your office to review and create the visit. Your office also needs to create visits when your business requires Job custom fields. You can then book the office-created visit from Open. --- # 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. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters: ``` GET https://learn.withessential.com/field-operations/mobile/schedule-an-open-visit.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. 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