When writing in a business context, is it better to address your audience as “clients” or as “customers”?
It’s a legitimate question.
Technically, they both refer to the same person — the party for whom you provide the goods or services.
The difference between “client” and “customer” lies in the answer to one simple question: Are you selling a product or a service?
In this blog post, I’ll help you understand the words clearly enough to never get confused again 🙂
Table of Contents
What is a client?
A client is a person or entity to whom you provide your business services. A client relationship is often long-term because it involves regular, personalized attention and services designed just for them.
For instance, if you’re a lawyer, your clients are the people who hire you for your professional service. They may be individual clients or business clients. If you’re a real estate agent, your primary clients are the sellers and buyers who hire you to help them buy or sell property.
What is a customer?
A customer is a person or organization that buys goods or services from another business. They are also called consumers, purchasers, and buyers. This is a kind of transactional relationship that can either involve a one-time purchase or a recurring one in which the customers buy from the same brand again and again.
A company’s customers are the people who buy its products or services. A company’s customers can be individuals, businesses, organizations, or other groups of people.
For instance, Apple has many individual consumers who buy iPhones and iPads. Additionally, Apple has corporate customers who buy its Macs and other computer products.
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What are the differences between a customer and a client?
It’s easy to confuse the terms “client” and “customer,” but they have different meanings in business.
A client is a person or organization that hires you for your services, such as a lawyer or accountant. A customer is someone who buys what you’re selling, such as a client’s employee or an individual who uses your products or services.
Here are some tips on how to use these words correctly:
1) Use the term “client” when you’re talking about an individual or business that’s hiring your company for services.
For example: “We’ll need to speak with our clients before we can submit our proposal.”
2) Use the term “customer” when you’re referring to someone who is paying for something they’ve purchased from your company.
For example: “Our goal is to make sure every customer has a positive experience.”
3) Don’t use either term if you’re writing about people who are buying something from another company — like shoppers at a mall or consumers buying goods online — even though those people may also be considered customers of their own companies (like employees buying health insurance from their employer).
For example: “The sale was so successful that we sold out of everything we had in stock.”
Other differences between customers and clients
Here are some other differences between customers and clients.
Customer engagement vs client engagement
Customer engagement typically involves short-term interactions that are centered around promotions and transactions. Client engagement goes deeper and focuses on long-term relationships, personalized services, and ongoing communication.
Customer acquisition vs client acquisition
Customer acquisition is about attracting buyers through marketing and sales efforts, often focusing on volume. Client acquisition generally involves a more targeted approach that emphasizes networking, referrals, and reputation building.
Customer experience vs client experience
Customer experience revolves around overall satisfaction with products or services, including ease of purchase and customer support. However, client experience goes deeper and involves tailored services, regular check-ins, and proactive problem-solving.
Customer journey vs client journey
The customer journey includes everything from awareness to purchase and beyond, focusing on sales and retention. The client journey also includes these steps but adds continuous engagement, personalized service, and relationship management.
Examples of business and work situations where you would use customer instead of client
Customer vs client is one of those language issues that can make you feel like you’re facing an impossible choice. How can you possibly decide which one to use when?
Let’s start with the basics: what do we mean when we talk about customers and clients?
A customer is someone who purchases goods or services from a business. A customer is someone buying groceries from a supermarket, dining at a restaurant, or purchasing clothes from a retail store​.
A client is someone who uses the personalized service of a professional or agency. Examples of clients include someone working with a lawyer for their legal services, a patient under the care of a doctor, etc.
In other words, if someone pays for something, they’re a customer. If they’re receiving advice or help from someone else, they’re a client.
Use customer when you’re referring to someone who buys goods or services from you. Here are some examples of business and work situations where you would use customer instead of client:
Marketing department: “We’ll need a new marketing strategy to attract more customers.”
Sales representative: “Our sales team needs to target more customers in their area.”
“Our customers range from large corporations to small start-ups, all of whom benefit from our dedicated customer support.”
“We make sure our customers find everything they need easily. Customer satisfaction is our number one priority.”
“We need to figure out a way to reduce the customer churn.”
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Examples of business and work situations where you would use client instead of customer
To keep it simple, use client when you’re writing about a person or group that has hired your business for some kind of service.
For example:
“My lasting relationship with my client is a testament to the quality of my services.”
“We have clients in many different industries.”
“I have an ongoing relationship of 5 years with my client.”
“We provide our clients with outstanding customer service.”
“I’m going to focus on developing new relationships with my existing clients.”
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Conclusion
Getting a client means building a long-term relationship with the potential for future referrals and ongoing business. Unlike customers who may make a one-time purchase, clients look for ongoing value and trust. However, customer loyalty is a thing, so you should treat a customer relationship as an ongoing one as well.
Regardless of whether it’s a client or a customer, it’s important to be professional and trustworthy. Give reasons to your clients to keep using your services and your customers to keep coming back for more. That’s the secret to long-term success.
Content updated for freshness and SEO by Swastik Sahu.
