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Being a friend with the client is not e prerequisite but having an open and friendly relationship is always useful. In fact, being a friend with somebody depends on the person's own definition of the relationship. However, in my definition business communications are not a foundation but an opportunity to meet someone and then create a relationship outside of the work environment where you can now each other share personal information and experience.
In my opinion the relationship between you and the coustomer is a special one and it is not a friendship but something else that can grow into a friendship.
Human beings are naturally social creatures – we crave friendship and positive interactions, just as we do food and water. So it makes sense that the better our relationships are at work, the happier and more productive we're going to be.
Good working relationships give us several other benefits: our work is more enjoyable when we have good relationships with those around us. Also, people are more likely to go along with changes that we want to implement, and we're more innovative and creative.
There are several characteristics that make up good, healthy working relationships:
Trust
Mutual Respect
Mindfulness
Welcoming Diversity
Open Communication
While there is not general rule, but I believe that most will find that engaging with clients on a personal level may prove counterproductive in the long term, since it gives room for personal relations to interfere with work. What if you had a fall out on the personal level, can you say this will not affect your professional relationship?