| 单词 | customer |
| 释义 | customer customer // noun [C]
INTERNAL CUSTOMER, TARGET CUSTOMER
a person or an organization that buys a product or service from a shop/store or a business: The company has around 7 million customers worldwide. They had no problem finding customers for their new service. one of the shop's biggest customers Can you serve the next customer? There has been a fall in customer numbers. He questioned the old cliché that the customer is always right. ⇨ CLIENT See note at SUPPLY CHAIN
❖ to acquire/attract/find/get/have/keep/lose customers ◆ a big/good/large/loyal/regular customer ◆ an awkward/a demanding/difficult customer ◆ existing/future/new/potential customers ◆ customer feedback/preferences/satisfaction
WHICH WORD?
customer/client/clientele/consumer
Customer and client can be used to refer to either people or companies that buy things, while consumer and clientele are used about people.
The word customer is usually used when the thing being sold is a standard product or service: Phone companies are competing to sign up domestic customers.
Client is preferred when the thing being sold is specially prepared or designed, for example professional advice: They had advised their clients to buy the shares.
It is now common for organizations providing public services, for example hospitals or bus companies, to refer to the people who use their services as customers or clients rather than patients, passengers, etc. This is because the words customer and client are thought to present a more professional image.
The word consumer is used to describe any member of the public who buys things rather than a customer of a particular company: changes in consumer behaviour • consumer demand for cheap flights
The word clientele describes all the people who use a particular shop/store, restaurant or service: The restaurant attracts a younger clientele. |
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