The first step to start working with Jira Service Desk is to create one. Since, under the hood, a service desk is a Jira project with a brand new user interface, you can either create a new service desk from scratch or change an existing project to be of the Service Desk project type.

To create a new service desk, perform the following steps:

1. Select the Create project option from the Projects drop-down menu.
2. Choose a project template, such as IT Service Desk, from the Service Desk project type, and click on Next.
3. Enter the name and key for the new service desk project and click on Submit:

If you choose to use an existing Jira project and convert it into a service desk, all you have to do is update the project's type by following these steps:

1. Browse to the project administration page for the project you want to turn into a service desk.
2. Select the Change project type option from the Actions menu.
3. Select the Service Desk option and click on Change.

Once your service desk is created, you will be taken to your service desk user interface, as shown in the following screenshot:

Every service desk has two interfaces. One will be used by you as the admin and members of your support team, called agents. The second interface is called the Customer portal, which is what customers will see and use to create requests and interact with agents. As you make configuration changes for your service desk, you can always preview the change by clicking on Customer channels and then the Visit the portal link from the left navigation panel, which will show you what the customer portal will look like.