The nouns client and customer are sometimes used interchangeably—especially by businesses seeking to show customers extra respect by referring to them as “clients”—but the words differ in their conventional definitions.
Client
A client is someone who engages the services of a professional. For example, lawyers, plumbers, freelance writers, accountants, and web designers often work for clients. So these writers use the word well:
Provincial court Judge Brian Stevenson agreed with defence counsel Jim Lutz such a prohibition was warranted to preserve his client’s right to a fair trial. [Toronto Sun]
Brokers don’t have to act in a client’s best interest when dispensing advice, but a new study from the Securities and Exchange Commission recommends changing that. [The Baltimore Sun]
The agent for Carson Palmer reiterated Monday his client’s desire to part with the Bengals this offseason. [Rotoworld.com]
Customer
A customer buys goods or services from a business (rather than an individual or group of professionals). So it works well in these sentences:
Zappos.com and its parent, Amazon.com, provide the best customer service, according to a survey commissioned by the National Retail Federation Foundation and American Express. [The Consumerist]
Jim Carlson, the shop’s owner, referred to the man as a regular customer. [Duluth News Tribune]
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