Difference Between Customer and Client

Main Difference

The main difference between a customer and client is that a customer is the one who buys material goods and services from any business or stores whereas, a client is the one who only receives official and professional services.

Customer vs. Client

Customers are mainly the people who intend to buy the products or services which a company or organization is supplying, on the other hand, clients are the people who buy the specific instruction, information and solutions which meet their personal needs. Customers generally do not stick to any one company or store which provides the products or services whereas clients customize and personalize services a lot, and close professional terms are established with them for a relatively long period. The customer is the one who buys goods or services from a business (rather than any group of individuals or business) conversely, a client is someone who engages himself in the services of a professional. The customer is habitual of buying the goods regularly. The customer is considered as a king in any business because he generates profit for the organization and is the one deciding whether the product or service is up to the mark or not. The client has business dealings with the organization and is the recipient of the services. The client enters into an agreement resulting in a trustworthy relationship between the parties. If he is satisfied with the service, the short term relationship may turn into a long lasting one. A customer buys a good, and the interaction ends after this. A client purchases a service (this can be any good also), and the interaction continues for more than one meeting. The client is purchasing time and expertise but not necessarily a tangible object.

Comparison Chart

What is a Customer?

A customer is a person who purchases things from any store or business. A customer has a quantitative relationship with the seller who offers products and goods for use. The customer is defined as a person who purchases the services and goods from the business, in exchange for money. This term customer is derived from the Latin word “consuescere, “to accustom,” which means ‘practice.’ In simple words, the term customer means a person who is accustomed to buying products. Customer deals with departmental stores, online goods websites, markets and so on.

What is a Client?

A client is someone who gets engaged in the services of a professional or official team or member. The term client is derived from the Latin word client, “follower.” So a client is a person who follows a specific relationship for the long term to get personalized results. A client has a qualitative relationship with the seller who offers general skills that are often intangible such as legal services, insurance policies, etc. Client deals with lawyer, accountant, insurance agent and so on.

Key Differences

1. An organization or company goes for selling products and goods to a customer whereas a company focuses on offering services to a client
2. A less degree of personal attention is required in the case of a customer; on the other hand, a high degree of personal attention is required in the case of a client.
3. The relationship between a customer and business is for a short term contrarily the relationship between the client and organization is for the long term.
4. A company offers goods and services to the customers conversely a company offers professional services like consultancy, legal advisory to its clients.
5. There is no agreement between the customer and the business organization on the flip side; there is an agreement between the client and the service provider.

Conclusion

The clear difference between customer and client lies in terms of selling and serving. They both are a very important part of any organization or company as they help them grow and flourish.