# Getting Started
source: https://developer.mastercard.com/mdes-customer-service/documentation/getting-started/index.md

Alert: **Please note that the encryption functionality for the Search API is currently not available in the Sandbox environment. We recommend that customers perform their encryption testing in the MTF environment. This will help in identifying any potential issues and ensure that the encryption works as expected before deploying in Production environment.**

This section describes how to get started with Customer Service.

Step 1. Create an account and start a project

[Sign Up](https://developer.mastercard.com/account/sign-up)

Step 2. Review Customer Services Use Cases

Review [Resource Use Cases](https://developer.mastercard.com/mdes-customer-service/documentation/use-cases/index.md)

Step 3. Review the APIs to get familiar with the Customer Service framework

Review [Customer Service APIs](https://developer.mastercard.com/mdes-customer-service/documentation/api-reference/index.md)

Step 4. Create a new MDES Customer Service API project \& validate the development in Sandbox environment

Step 5. Move an MDES Customer Service Project to MTF \& Production (once the results are successful in Sandbox)