While this difference between client and customer doesn’t touch on either client or customer directly, it shows us how businesses that target both groups differ.įirst, we have companies that target customers. Thus, both sides need a formal agreement that will include things such as: Meaning, an agency or a firm may not be as relevant as it seemed to be at first. Yet, the client engages in a long-term relationship that can be oftentimes hard to predict. The customer, as he makes an only one-time purchase, needs no formal agreement between him and the seller. AgreementĪ third difference in the client vs customer dispute is the matter of an agreement. Plus, the business has to focus on creating a strong bond with the client in order to make him come back. This means both sides work on long-term goals and a long-lasting relationship. On the other hand, a client engages in a fiduciary relationship with the company. Thus, the seller doesn’t have to build a strong relationship with the buyer. ![]() ![]() That means, it is probably a one-off purchase. The other key difference is the type of relation that a client and customer have with the other entity.Ī customer engages in a transaction with the company. While the client refers to a person who looks for professional service from the business. The first and the most obvious difference in the client vs customer fight is the meaning.Ĭustomer means a person who buys goods and services from the company. Now that we know the definitions of both client and customer, let’s take a look at key differences between both. Therefore, the relationship between both entities also tends to play a significant role.įor a day-to-day example: Think of a client as a person or entity who uses professional services such as a law firm or a design studio. Now, that was a real deal!When it comes to the client the sales cycle tends to be quite long. Yet, if you go to the lawyer to help you get out of that deadlock situation then you’re his client. This means a guy who goes to buy a few apples and pears is not the store’s client but a customer. That’s because a client is involved in more specific types of purchases, namely services. Straightforward, we see that a client is more of a ‘formal’ form of a customer. “The best way to look at any business is from the standpoint of the clients.” – Jamie DimonĪgain, let’s start with a dictionary definition.Ī client is a person who uses the services or advice of a professional person or organization. Of course, brands can build a good relationship with their customers – and they should! – but since they don’t rely on only one or two customers, they can focus on other parts of their business.įor a more day-to-day example: You can think of a customer as a person who uses one-off services – goes to the store or eats in a restaurant. This means, that the whole sales cycle is usually short. What?! It was 50% off!That’s also why we define a customer as a person who purchases goods or services in exchange for money.Īlso, it’s important to mention that the customer doesn’t get involved in a long-lasting relationship with the business he purchases from. ![]() Therefore, we can understand a customer as a person who buys goods frequently or has a habit of doing so. Right away, we can see that customer is a word that we mostly refer to in regards to casual purchases.Īnd that should be no surprise as the word comes from the Latin ‘custom’ which simply means ‘practice’. When it comes to the dictionary definition a customer is a person or an organization that buys something from a shop, store, or business. Today, I’m going to show you how to understand the client vs customer dispute, on which side to stand and whether it really matters!įirst, I’ll explain the definition of client and customer (separately) so later we can clearly see how both are different. Plus, you should sound knowledgeable enough, so they want to trust you. When you try to appeal to your audience you have to use the right words. I thought both words have the same meaning, and so I can use them as synonyms.Īnd while in a day-to-day talk a few lexical mistakes may slip through, it won’t be the same in business communication. Well, let me first tell you that I’ve been there.įor many years, I was neutral in a client vs customer fight. Is there a real difference between client and customer? Since you’re here, I bet you’re wondering what is the answer to client vs customer dispute…
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