In customer support software, issue tracking systems and the like, I frequently see a state titled awaiting customer
to signify no action is required until the person (customer) who raised the issue has responded.
Is this use of the word await
incorrect, should it be waiting for customer
?
My reason for asking is because I found a description of the difference between wait and await where it says the object of sentence is not a person and normally inanimate:
The verb 'await' must have an object - for example, 'I am awaiting your answer'. And the object of 'await' is normally inanimate, not a person, and often abstract.
Customers are people, so why use await
?
Unfortunately the example given has confused me further:
I am awaiting your answer
In this case your
must mean a person, not an inanimate object.
I'm guessing the use of awaiting customer
is just a convenient short phrase to put in the software, but is it correct?