Create your service desk request types
STEP 2 OF 5
Request types let you define and organize incoming issues so your service desk team can more efficiently help your customers. If you're moving from an existing help desk application, you can add your existing request categories during this step. If you're setting up service desk request types for the first time:
- Think about how your customer would write a request (e.g. 'Need a new monitor' vs 'Hardware Request');
- Break things down into smaller chunks (e.g. 'Help with printer configuration', 'Help with laptop problems', 'Help with software problems'); and
- Avoid specialist terminology (e.g. 'I need access to a system' vs 'Deploy SSH key').
Here's what your request types page will look like by the end of this step:
Requests vs. Issues
Create new request types
Your site comes with preconfigured request types (e.g. "Get IT help" and "Request a new account"), but let's go ahead and add more to give you more practice.
- Click the Settings tab in JIRA Service Desk. You'll end up on the Request types tab by default.
- Create a new request type, "Get wi-fi access", by filling in the Icon, Request name, Issue type, Description, and Groups fields as shown. Click "Add" when finished:
- Click Edit fields to change the request form fields that show up in the Customer Portal. These simplified fields help customers understand what information they need to provide when submitting a request.
- The "Summary" field should already be displayed in the Visible fields section. Click the Add a field button and select the "Priority" field to add this to the "Get wi-f- access" request form.
- Edit the Display name and Field help of the "Summary" field as shown. Click "Update" when finished:
- Click the Workflow Statuses tab. The default JIRA workflow status names for the "Access" issue type will be displayed on the lefthand side. You might want to change how these statuses appear to the customer filing a request. Enter the following simplified status names on the righthand side as shown:
- Click the Request types tab to add one more new request type, "Need a new monitor" with the following details:
- Click Edit fields for this new request. On the Fields tab, add the required "Due Date" field (the "Summary" field will already be displayed).
- On the Workflow Statuses tab, revise your workflow status names as shown below:
More on Workflow Statuses: Each request type maps to a JIRA issue type. You can read more about how JIRA Service Desk uses JIRA issues in How JIRA and JIRA Service Desk Work Together.
Organize your requests with groups
A group is simply a label you can assign to each request type. Your request types will then be organized into tabs in the Customer Portal based on these assigned groups. To add groups:
Click the Settings tab and then use the Groups column to change the following groups for each request type:
Request Type Group "Need a new monitor" Purchase requests "Get wi-fi access" Access requests "Get IT help" General "Request a new account" Access requests - Assign two groups (General and Access Requests) to the "Get wi-fi access" request to make this request type appear on two tabs in the Customer Portal and therefore easier to find.
- Click the Customer Portal link to see how JIRA Service Desk automatically sorts your request types into tabs based on the groups you have added:
Create a request from the Customer Portal
- Stay in the Customer Portal view so you can create test requests from a customer's view.
- Click "Get wi-fi access" and enter "Test wi-fi request" in the Summary (or "What do you need?") field.
- Click Create to view the open request in the Customer Portal.
- Click Close to exit the customer view and return to your service desk admin view.
Tip: We think groups are helpful if you have seven or more request types.
Excellent work! You now have four request types and another test issues in your project. Next, you will learn how to sort these issues into queues, which will allow you to manage your team's workload.
