The most effective and standard method for controlling application visibility and default settings for distinct groups of users is through profiles. By assigning the unique Service Console application to the corresponding user profile for each team (e.g., "Technical Support Console" app to the "Technical Support" profile), an administrator ensures that users see the correct application upon login. This approach aligns with the principle of using profiles to define the user experience, including which apps are visible and which is the default.

B. Assign a permission set granting the Service User license. Permission sets are used to grant permissions and access settings, but they cannot be used to grant a feature license like the Service Cloud User license.

C. Assign the Service User license to their User record. The Service Cloud User license is a prerequisite that enables a user to access Service Console functionality. However, it does not control which specific console app is assigned or visible to them.

1. Salesforce Help, Assign Apps to Profiles: "You can specify which apps are visible to users of a particular profile. For example, you can display the Sales app to your sales team and the Service app to your customer support team." This directly supports using profiles to manage app assignments for different teams. (Salesforce Help, Assign Apps to Profiles in the Original Profile User Interface).

2. Salesforce Help, User Licenses: "A user license determines the baseline of features that the user can access... To grant users access to functionality that’s not included in their user license, assign them a permission set license." The "Service Cloud User" is a feature license enabled on the user record, not a user license itself, but the principle is the same: it enables features, it doesn't assign specific apps. (Salesforce Help, User Licenses).

3. Salesforce Help, Profiles: "Profiles determine what users can do in your Salesforce org... Settings in a profile determine... Which apps are visible." This confirms that app visibility is a core function of a user's profile. (Salesforce Help, Profiles).