Talk the Talk
You are creating a system for a client. It is their system, not yours. You need to use the terms they use, in their industry. Part of good communication is to learn theirs.
Customers: Every industry has its own terms. The hospitality industry (hotel and restaurant) refers to guests. The travel industry has passengers. Consultants have clients. The medical field has patients. They may also be called members, subscribers, students, families or other terms. Learn to pick up on the terms your client uses and use those same terms.
Employees: They are called by various names; associates, sales consultants, customer service representative, etc. And the list goes on. Listen to what the client says. Some terms may not mean what you think. If in doubt, ask. Start a data dictionary to keep track of terms.
True story: I did a lot of statistical programming for a college. I was asked to generate a report of the number of students in different categories. The admissions office told me the number of freshmen was all wrong. I ask how they defined a freshman: “A student who is here for their first semester.” So, I changed the program. Then the registrar told me the number of freshmen was way off. Again, I asked, “What is a freshman?” This time I was told “A student who has completed fewer than 30 credits.” I then explained the situation to the registrar and came up with the term “Entering freshman” I printed both Freshmen and Entering Freshmen, along with a description. Everybody was happy. Again, these terms go in the data dictionary. There was also some politics here: the registrar at that school was bigger and had more clout than the admissions office, so they got to keep their definition of freshmen.
