Managing transactions and reporting are one of the most important aspects of a business. To ease this, various applications, commonly referred to as application software are used to process and record transactions. Features of accounting software include accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll and the general ledger, just to name a few. One of the most common accounting software is QuickBooks. Developed and marketed by Intuit, its features and products are aimed at offering on-premises accounting solutions for small and medium-sized organizations. Among its features include remote payroll outsourcing and assistance, online banking, remote access, reconciliations, and email functionality.

While using QuickBooks, a person may come across various name types such as the customers, employees and even vendors. All these are different in the role they play in a business setting as well as how they are recorded and should be differentiated accordingly.

Who is a Vendor?

This is a person who sells a service or product. They can be categorized based on industry, geographic location as well as period they intend to supply a product or service. A customer who later serves as a vendor should be included in the customer as well as the vendor list for accurate reporting. The name should, however, be tagged or differentiated to avoid mixing of transactions. A simpler way of doing this is by tagging the customer account with a “C” and the vendor account with a “V”.

The vendor function is accessed using the vendor center icon.

Who is a Customer?

These are persons who pay for products or services provided by a business and determine profitability as well as business continuity. A company should hence prioritize on customer satisfaction and retention. In QuickBooks, one can easily manage the customer list by merging, adding and even deleting unnecessary customer items.

The customer function is accessed using the customer center icon.

Similarities between Vendor and Customer in QuickBooks

• Both are important when it comes to financial recording and reporting.
• Both can be easily managed by  merging, adding and even deleting unnecessary items

Differences between Vendor and Customer in QuickBooks

Definition

A vendor is a person who sells a service or product. On the other hand, a customer is a person who pays for products or services provided by a business.

Business relationship

A vendor has a business to business (B2B) relationship with a company while a customer has a business to customer (B2C) relationship with a company.

Objective

The objective of a vendor is to supply goods and services while the objectives of a customer are to purchase goods and services.

Access

The vendor function is accessed using the vendor center icon. On the other hand, customer function is accessed using the customer center icon.

Comparison Table: Vendor vs. Customer in QuickBooks

Summary of Vendor vs. Customer in QuickBooks

While both vendors and customers are important items in QuickBooks, they refer to different functions. While a vendor is a person who sells a service or product and has a B2B relationship in a business, a customer is a person who pays for products or services provided by a business and has a B2C relationship in business. Both, however, are important when it comes to financial recording and reporting.

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