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Clients and customers are two terms often used interchangeably. Although they’re related, they’re distinct based on what you’re selling, a product or a service.
Knowing the differences between clients and customers can help you customize your strategies and provide an appropriate standard of service to each group.
Here, we’ll differentiate clients and customers and discuss how to acquire and retain them for the growth of your business.
Client vs customer: Key definitions
Clients are individuals or entities that engage with businesses to receive professional services or advice. They often have long-term relationships with companies that build trust over time.
Clients usually receive personalized solutions and dedicated support.
Examples of client services
- Professional consulting and advice in areas such as management.
- Legal services and guidance for individuals or companies.
- Financial services like accounting or tax preparation.
- Health care services like patient care and medical consultations.
- IT support, technical assistance, and software development based on client needs.
- Marketing services and promotion management.
Conversely, customers are individuals who have occasional interaction with a business. They are often referred to as buyers, consumers, or purchasers.
While some customers and clients may have ongoing relationships with businesses, such as loyalty program members or repeat clients.
Many customer interactions often consist of a series of distinct transactions, rather than a continuous, unbroken relationship.
These short-term relationships involve a customer entering a store or making an online purchase, completing the transaction, and potentially leaving without further immediate engagement.
Examples of customer service
- Restaurants
- Retail stores
- Supermarkets
- Groceries
- Online retailers
What is the difference between a customer and a client?
The terms “client” and “customer” vary in regard to different business aspects.
The distinctions between client v customer include:
Nature of engagement
Customer engagement involves short-term interactions that are based on transactions.
Clients focus on long-term relationships, personalized services, and continuous communication.
Business management
Client-centered businesses have dedicated managers to give personalized attention and guide each individual client throughout the customer journey.
Customer-based businesses do not have dedicated managers. Instead, all their interactions are managed by support agents.
Customer acquisition
Businesses acquire customers through marketing and advertising strategies such as commercials and social media ads that boost brand awareness.
However, these tactics often come with high expenses, driving up the overall customer acquisition cost.
Conversely, client acquisition involves simple approaches such as referrals, high-quality services, and networking, which are cheaper.
Formal business agreements
Customers do not need any formal agreement between them and the seller.
On the other hand, clients engage in long-term relationships that involve formal agreements that include:
- Summary of the agreement
- Terms of service
- Performance measurement
- Consequences
- Review and termination
Lifetime value
Clients are long-term customers who develop a relationship with your brand and help support your long-term profits.
On the other hand, the more customers you have, the higher the transactions and profit in the short run.
Revenue model
Client-based businesses generate high revenue and include a monthly billing program, which is essential for sustaining the business over time.
Customer businesses are huge and have low transaction value, and payments are made once products are bought.
Your business needs customers to survive well; you need to focus on attracting more customers.
The table below summarizes the differences between client vs customer meanings.
| Criteria | Client | Customer |
| Nature of engagement | Continuous relationship | Transactional relationship |
| Business management | Dedicated managers | Support agents |
| Customer acquisition | Simple referral approaches | Costly marketing strategies like social media ads |
| Formal business agreements | Require formal agreements | Does not need formal agreements |
| Lifetime value | Long-term impact | Short-term impact |
| Revenue model | Monthly billing with high revenue | Single payments with low revenue |
Importance of understanding the difference between client and customer
Understanding the distinctions between customers vs clients enables businesses to develop effective strategies to attract, retain, and satisfy them.
The following are other benefits you stand to gain from having client versus customer knowledge.
Builds stronger relationships
SuperOffice found that 96% of consumers say customer service strongly affects their loyalty to a brand.
Clients usually need more personalized attention and support then customers. To build strong relationships with clients, businesses should offer tailored solutions, regular communication, and reliable service.
Customers, on the other hand, respond well to smooth buying experiences, attractive promotions, and helpful guidance throughout their journey.
Focusing on these areas can help businesses attract and retain more customers.
Optimizes resource allocation
Clients maintain long-term relationships and generate higher revenue, making them a priority for resource investment and personalized support.
Businesses can allocate more resources to clients while ensuring efficient customer enablement for customers to maintain satisfaction and encourage repeat purchases.
Enhances customer satisfaction
Knowing the difference between a customer and a client enables businesses to align interactions and services and exceed expectations to build loyalty.
Offer excellent customer service, resolve customer issues, and offer timely support to enhance the customer experience.
Develops effective pricing strategies
According to a study by KeySearch, companies that strategically optimize their pricing models can achieve revenue growth of 50% to even 100%, especially in sectors like software and digital services.
Consider pricing models that are best suited for client v customer. Since clients are offered special services like enhanced personalization and exclusive customer support, businesses may charge premium rates for these services.
Businesses can set affordable, competitive pricing to attract customers and maximize sales.
How BoldDesk helps manage clients and customers efficiently
Modern software allows you to maintain relationships with customers vs clients effectively.
The software you use should enable your team to collaborate in real time, automate repetitive tasks, and generate reports.
BoldDesk is the best cloud-based software for your business if you’re looking to manage customer support issues.
The following are some of the features that make BoldDesk stand out in supporting clients vs customers:
Robust helpdesk software
BoldDesk empowers businesses to deliver exceptional customer support by simplifying ticket management and boosting team performance.
With powerful analytics, you gain actionable insights to optimize service efficiency.
As a comprehensive helpdesk software, BoldDesk streamlines workflows, making it easy to manage client and customer inquiries seamlessly.
Contact management
The BoldDesk contact management system allows you to organize and maintain contacts and contact groups, along with their associated information.
Purchase history, customer conversations, and logs are held in a centralized, secure location. This enables agents to retrieve up-to-date client and customer information for more personalized service.
Integration options
BoldDesk allows you to integrate many of your currently used apps. These integrations empower your team to create and maintain relationships with clients and customers from a unified platform.
For example, you can:
- Integrate with MailChimp to send marketing email campaigns to clients and customers for lead generation.
- Make calls to customers and clients, transfer calls, and organize and monitor conversations directly within with Ringover.
Automation capabilities
BoldDesk has automation tools that take various ticket actions off your plate, guaranteeing faster resolution and ensuring no support request ever goes unnoticed.
You can also automate the following workflows for more efficient customer vs client support operations:
- Ticket routing
- Customer satisfaction surveys
- Ticket status
- Service level agreement (SLA) triggers and reminders
- Alerts and notifications
AI-powered support
BoldDesk’s built-in AI Copilot and AI Agent simplify support for both clients and customers by automating tasks and enhancing response quality.
- AI Copilot: Summarizes conversations and suggests replies to help agents respond faster and more accurately.
- AI Agent: Provides instant answers to common queries, reducing ticket volume and improving self-service.
Reporting and analytics
BoldDesk provides insightful data through built-in reporting and analytics dashboards. Managers can use the reports to assess support ticket volume, SLA reports, and customer vs client satisfaction, among others.
Building effective support through client vs customer intelligence
Navigating the client vs customer distinction doesn’t have to be complicated. By understanding their unique expectations, your team can create more personalized, efficient support experiences that truly resonate.
It’s not just about resolving issues, it’s about building trust, reducing friction, and forming lasting connections that drive loyalty.
Did this guide help you see the client versus customer difference in a new light? Are you rethinking how your team approaches support for each?
We’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, or ideas, drop them in the comments and let’s keep the conversation going!
Related articles
- What is Customer Retention? (10 Powerful Strategies & Metrics)
- Customer Acquisition Cost: Best Ways to Calculate and Reduce It
- Guide to Customer Relations: Definition, Benefits & Tips
Frequently asked questions
It uses tags, custom fields, and segmentation to classify users, enabling different SLAs, routing rules, and communication styles. Advanced analytics provide insights to improve service efficiency across both segments.
Clients often need proactive, customized support, while customers need fast, transactional help. BoldDesk helps teams manage both efficiently with flexible workflows and automation.
Yes, many businesses serve both by offering products for customers and services for clients, often using segmentation for tailored support.
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