“Every customer at my law firm reviewed the contract.”
Usage Entry 1153 / 1350 60-second read
Client vs. Customer
Long-term professional relationship versus single-transaction buyer.
The comparisoni
“Every client at my law firm reviewed the contract — lawyers have clients, not customers.”
The ruleii
¶
CLIENT = ongoing. CUSTOMER = transactional.
A CUSTOMER buys a product or one-off service (coffee, groceries). A CLIENT has an ongoing professional relationship — lawyers, accountants, agencies. The line blurs in modern SaaS, but formal usage keeps the distinction.
Memory aidiii
Remember it like this
Clients retain you. Customers check out.