Creating a customer account in Jira Service Management primarily involves adding a customer to an existing organization, enabling them to submit and track their service requests through your customer portal. This process ensures they have the necessary access to interact with your service desk.
Understanding Customer Accounts in Jira Service Management
In Jira Service Management, customers are distinct from agents. Customers are the end-users who submit requests, monitor their progress, and communicate with your service team via the customer portal. Unlike agents, customers do not consume a licensed Jira user seat, meaning you can have an unlimited number of customers interacting with your service desk.
Their primary function is to:
- Submit new service requests or issues.
- Track the status and progress of their submitted requests.
- Communicate with agents regarding their tickets.
- Access a knowledge base for self-service solutions.
Step-by-Step Guide to Adding a Customer Manually
To manually add a new customer and associate them with an organization in Jira Service Management, follow these precise steps:
- Access Administrative Settings: Begin by navigating to the administrative section of your Jira instance. In the top right-hand corner of your screen, select Settings (often represented by a gear icon). From the dropdown menu, choose Products, and then select Organizations.
- Select an Organization: You will see a list of existing organizations. Click on the name of the specific organization you wish to add the new customer to. This ensures the customer is correctly grouped and has access to the relevant portals and requests for that organization.
- Initiate Customer Addition: Within the selected organization's details page, locate and select the Add customers button.
- Enter Customer Details: A field will appear where you need to enter the customer's email address. This email will be used to send them an invitation and provide access to the customer portal. Ensure the email address is accurate.
- Confirm Addition: After entering the customer's email, finalize the process by selecting the Add button.
What Happens After Adding a Customer?
Once a customer is added:
- They will receive an email invitation to access your customer portal.
- If they don't already have an Atlassian account associated with that email, they will be prompted to create one (which includes setting a password).
- They can then log in to your customer portal, view available service projects, submit requests, and track their tickets.
- They will be associated with the organization you selected, allowing them to potentially see requests from other members of that organization, depending on your portal's privacy settings.
Alternative Methods for Customer Management
While manual addition is straightforward for individual customers, Jira Service Management also offers other methods for managing your customer base:
- Self-Signup: You can configure your customer portal to allow new customers to sign themselves up. This is useful for public-facing portals where anyone can submit a request.
- Bulk Import via CSV: For adding a large number of customers simultaneously, Jira Service Management supports importing customer details from a CSV file. This method is efficient for initial setup or large-scale updates.
- API Integration: For advanced scenarios, customers can be managed programmatically through Jira Service Management's API, allowing integration with external customer databases or identity management systems.
For more detailed information on managing customers and their access, refer to Atlassian's official documentation on managing customers.
Customer vs. Agent: A Quick Comparison
Understanding the fundamental differences between customers and agents is crucial for effective Jira Service Management usage:
| Feature | Customer (Jira Service Management) | Agent (Jira) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Role | Submits requests, tracks own issues, interacts via customer portal | Resolves requests, manages queues, configures projects, works in Jira UI |
| Licensing | Free, unlimited customers | Requires a Jira Service Management agent license |
| Access Area | Customer Portal only | Full Jira instance (back-end), project settings, queues, reports |
| Permissions | Limited to own requests, or organization's requests (if configured) | Broad, based on project roles and Jira permissions |
| User Interface | Simplified, service-focused customer portal | Comprehensive Jira interface with extensive functionalities |
