Hi guys, welcome back to English with Max.
It's been quite a while since I last filmed a video, but anyway, I am back
and today I have a video for you on the difference between the words "client" and "customer".
Most of you watching this probably have an intermediate to advanced level, so I'm guessing
you have heard the words “customer” and “client”.
But lots of people learning English don't know the difference.
This is partly because in many languages, there's just one word.
In Spanish, for example, it's "cliente", and it's very similar in Italian.
In French it's "client" and in German it's "Kunde".
What makes it more confusing is that sometimes you can use the words interchangeably,
and even native speakers sometimes don't know which word to use.
However, and this is the good news, there are some general rules which work most of the time.
Let's first look at the word “customer”.
A customer is a person or a group of people who buy goods from a shop or a business,
or who pays for services from a big company.
You have customers in supermarkets, in electronic stores, bookshops, clothing stores, and even
in cafés and restaurants.
Sometimes people use the word “diner” for a person who eats in a restaurant, but
you can also use the word "customer".
An example of a customer paying for a service is the case of phone and internet companies.
For example, you, yes you, are a customer of the company that provides your mobile phone service.
You are also a customer of your electricity company.
A client, on the other hand, is a person or a group who pays for professional, individualised
advice or services.
Lawyers have clients, so do accountants, therapists, financial advisors, interior decorators, etc.
As I said earlier, sometimes you can probably use either, that is, you can use them interchangeably.
For example, does a person who creates websites have clients or customers?
Is it a good or a service they're providing? I'm not sure.
In my opinion you could say either in that case.
You should also be aware that nowadays some businesses refer to their customers as “clients”
because “client” somehow sounds a little more formal or important.
But that's just marketing bullshit.
It's very silly, isn't it, Frank?
In summary, normally if what is being provided is a good, you say “customer”, and if
it's a service, you say “client”.
The exception is if the service comes from a big company (like telephone or electricity
companies) and the service is not specifically adapted to your needs – thousands of other
people are receiving the same service as you.
I'd also like to point out that sometimes you say neither “customer” nor “client”.
If you see a doctor, you aren't a customer or a client, you are a patient.
And if you are paying a teacher for lessons, you are a student.
I hope that was clear. If you still have any doubts about this, you can leave me a comment.
Or if you just want to practise your writing, you can leave a different comment.
I do have a challenge for you: leave a comment stating a type of business that I haven't
mentioned in this video and whether they would have customers or clients.
I would also like to know if there are two words for this concept in your language (like in English),
or if you just have one word.
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Bye bye!