What is a client:What is considered a client?Is a client a customer?What is an example of a client?What is the difference between a client and a user?Who are your clients?
Every business or company aims to pursue customers or clients for a profitable business. But who are these clients? Is client or customer the same thing? Is there any difference between a client purchasing a service and the person using it?
In this article, we will answer all your questions regarding clients and relevant questions.
What is considered a client?
A client is a person or company paying for or receiving the advice or services offered by companies or professionals. A client is someone; who seeks advice or receives services from professionals like lawyers, doctors, accountants, advertising agencies, web designers, logo designers, and the list goes on.
All types of professional service providers denote their customers as clients. A client may be a company, entity, or person.
The client enters into some arrangements or agreements with the service provider. These agreements bind both parties to some terms and conditions.
For example, a person hires a lawyer to defend his case. Here the person hiring the lawyer is a client for that lawyer.
Similarly: if you hire an accountant to manage your business assets and maintain the records.
Here you are, a client receiving the service of that accountant.
Therefore, a client gets generally used as a professional term. A company or professional service providers refer to their customers as clients.
Is a client a customer?
A customer and clients, both are similar terms used for someone buying or purchasing a product or service. But many times, people get confused about what they should refer to the person paying for their product or service.
Although these terms look similar in many aspects, some differences highlight changes in their meanings. The primary difference between a customer and a client is the type of service or product they purchase.
When a person buys a product or service from a company or store, that person gets called a customer; on the other hand, the term client gets used for specific customers purchasing a professional service from professionals or entities. In short, a customer buys products and goods, whereas a client pays for advice or services from professionals.
For example, a law firm, logo designer, design studios, accountants, estate agencies, and advertising agencies provide client-based services. On the other hand, retail stores, grocery stores, hotels, restaurants, cafes, and subscription-based businesses or companies provide customer-based services.
Another difference is a relationship with the seller. A seller is not required to build a strong bond with a customer buying a product as it may be a one-time purchase. On the contrary, a company and client form a fiduciary relationship.
Last but not least: Agreement. A customer is not required to enter into any agreement or arrangement with the seller or company; on the other hand, a client enters into a formal agreement with the company having a binding effect on both parties.
Example of client:
For a more clear understanding, let us take the example of a person Henry, who got accused of the murder of Miss Jane. Henry hires advocate Andrew Hemsworth to defend his case. Andrew and Henry sign a written agreement that binds both parties to a contract.
Here, Andrew offers professional service as a lawyer to defend Henry, his client. Thus, in this case, Henry is not a customer; he is a client.
Similarly, a person purchasing services of professional designers, account firms, law firms, advertising or marketing firms get denoted as a client, not the customer.
Difference between a client and a user?
A client and a user sound similar, but they aren’t. There’s a fine line of difference between these two terms.
A client is someone; who buys or receives advice or service from companies or professionals, whereas a user is someone who uses the product or service.
A client is a term; generally used for the person or entity entering into some arrangement with other entities and professional service providers. There is some arrangement or agreement between both parties.
This term gets used for the person or companies purchasing or receiving service from professionals like lawyers, private limited companies, accountants, advertising agencies, web designers, logo designers, content creators, digital marketing, and other professional service providers.
For example, a person hires a logo designer to create a logo for their electronic showroom. Here, the person hiring the logo designer is a client for that logo designer.
On the other hand, a user is someone who uses a service or product themselves. A user is not required to purchase a product themselves. They may purchase the product or service or may not. A user is a person who is the ultimate user of the service or product. For example, parents buy online study courses for their children. Here the user is that child who is using the service.
Likewise, if a boy buys a dress for his girlfriend, that boy is the customer for the cloth store, and his girlfriend is the end-user who wears the dress.
This term is generally used for companies purchasing services and goods for their employees. A company purchasing the product is a client, and the employees who use the service are users.
In a nutshell, a user may be a customer. A person may purchase the product for their consumption.
Who are your clients?
Many people get confused as to who their clients are. The answer depends upon what you do. Does your business provide professional services or solutions to people’s needs, or does your company offer products to every customer?
Ask yourself, and you will find the answer to all your questions. If you are an accountant and offer account management service, the person employing you is your client. If you are an advertising company, a person paying to advertise their business is your client. A client may be an individual, company, or business entity.
A customer purchasing your service for a long time forming a long-term relationship with your company becomes your client.
In short, analyse your business activities and identify your clients for better understanding.
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Read also: Advertising Ethics; Importance of international marketing
External resource: Rev.team
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