No one likes to be kept waiting. However, solving an issue often takes time, and long waits are frequently unavoidable.
That’s why it’s important to express your gratitude when a customer, co-worker, or even your employer is patient.
In this article, we’ll show you 10 alternative phrases that you can use in your work emails. Additionally, we’ll discuss the correctness of the phrase thank you for your patience.
10 Alternative Ways to Say “Thank You for Your Patience”
Check out these 10 other ways to say thank you for your patience at work:
- Your patience is appreciated
- I appreciate your patience
- Thank you for being so patient with me
- Thanks for waiting
- Thank you for your cooperation
- Thank you for bearing with us
- Thanks for sticking with us
- I apologize for making you wait
- Sorry to keep you waiting
- I greatly appreciate your flexibility
1. Your Patience Is Appreciated
Your patience is appreciated is a good formal synonym for thank you for your patience. You can use this phrase when you are taking some time to deal with a query from a client or customer.
Firstly, you can use this phrase to acknowledge that a client has been kept waiting or to indirectly ask for patience as you deal with their issue.
Secondly, your patience is appreciated maintains a professional and impersonal tone, making it ideal if you work in a corporate or formal setting.
Finally, let’s see an email sample making use of this phrase:
Dear Miss Parekh,
I will investigate this matter thoroughly and get back to you.
Your patience is appreciated.
Regards,
Janine Leaheart
2. I Appreciate Your Patience
I appreciate your patience is just a slightly less formal variation of the phrase above. You can still use this phrase in a work setting. However, the inclusion of the personal pronoun “I” makes this phrase a tad more personal.
Nevertheless, it would be suitable to use I appreciate your patience in an email to a coworker if you have recently joined the workforce and are being trained. It’s good to show gratitude when a colleague has taken the time to show you the ropes, after all.
Consider the email example below:
Dear Kristina,
I appreciate your patience during this process.
Your support has made my transition into this role far easier.
Warm regards,
Phillip
3. Thank You for Being So Patient With Me
If you work in a smaller business and have a friendly relationship with your boss, you can use the phrase thank you for being so patient with me to express your gratitude while you are learning to carry out your new role.
This phrase is courteous and sincere. Moreover, it shows that you appreciate your employer’s efforts to support you.
Therefore, it’s a good way to maintain a pleasant rapport between you and your superior, especially if you will be working in close quarters.
Have a look at the following example:
Dear Shelly,
Thank you for being so patient with me this week.
I am pleased to have picked up on these new skills so quickly, and I truly appreciate all your guidance.
Warm regards,
Aimee
4. Thanks for Waiting
The phrase thanks for waiting is a more casual alternative to thank you for your patience. Therefore, you should only use it when speaking to a colleague with whom you are friendly.
In a busy office setting, it sometimes makes sense to keep things clear and informal when you are speaking to your fellows.
Thus, you can use thanks for waiting if you’ve taken some time to get back to a coworker about an issue. It will show that you don’t take their time and patience for granted.
For instance:
Hi Paula,
Thanks for waiting.
I’ve found the file you mentioned and have scanned the relevant pages below.
All the best,
Megan
5. Thank You for Bearing With Us
You can use the phrase thank you for bearing with us to speak on behalf of your company when you are dealing with a client or customer’s issue.
If a client has made a complaint or query about one of your products, for instance, it may take some time to investigate the issue. It’s always good to thank the customer for waiting during this time.
Moreover, thank you for bearing with us comes across as suitably professional but also sincere and friendly. Thus, it is a good choice if you are an entrepreneur and want to keep customers returning to your business.
See the email sample below:
Dear Juniper,
Thank you for bearing with us while we resolve the issue.
We can replace the model you purchased with a newer one, which should be free of these errors.
Regards,
Tonia Plete
6. Thanks for Sticking With Us
Thanks for sticking with us is essentially just a more informal synonym for the phrase above.
However, you can still use this phrase when emailing a customer. This is especially the case if you work in a small business and choose to have a friendly and casual rapport with your clientele.
Once again, you can use this phrase when you have kept a customer waiting while trying to resolve a complaint or concern they’ve raised. It acknowledges that you have kept them waiting and shows that you value their time and patience.
For example:
Dear Lucy,
Thanks for sticking with us!
We have issued a full refund and a voucher for your next visit.
Warm regards,
Gwaine
7. Thank You for Your Cooperation
You can say thank you for your cooperation when speaking to a client or customer. In particular, you can use this phrase if you have had to request certain information from a client in order to resolve an issue.
This phrase is formal and professional, so it works well if you work in a public office, for example, and must handle sensitive data from members of the public.
See how we’ve used this phrase in a sample email:
Dear Mr. Pascal,
We thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
I can confirm that a new license has been issued to you and should arrive at your address within 10 business days.
Sincerely,
Moira Patterson
8. I Apologize for Making You Wait
You can use the phrase I apologize for making you wait when you are speaking to a coworker that you aren’t particularly close with.
If you are working on a task with someone from another department, for instance, you will want to maintain a professional tone in your correspondence.
Nevertheless, you still want to be sincere and courteous if you have kept them waiting for a response. I apologize for making you wait shows that you value their time and are trying your best to be prompt.
Let’s see this phrase in an email example:
Dear Freida,
I apologize for making you wait.
However, I have found the invoice you mentioned and have attached it below.
Regards,
Sally
9. Sorry to Keep You Waiting
Sorry to keep you waiting is a slightly less formal variation of the above. Therefore, you can use this phrase when you are speaking to a colleague you are close to.
If you have a friendly dynamic with your coworker, it will suffice to apologize quickly before moving on. After all, if they know you well, they probably already know that you value and respect their time. Therefore, this phrase is just a nice courtesy.
See how we’ve used it in an email sample:
Hi Jesse,
Sorry to keep you waiting.
I will leave the memo on your desk this afternoon.
Best,
Esihle
10. I Greatly Appreciate Your Flexibility
Another way to say thank you for your patience is I greatly appreciate your flexibility.
If you run your own business or work as a freelancer, for example, you will no doubt have to negotiate your time and schedule with your clients. It’s always a pleasure to work with a client who is happy to adapt to your schedule.
Therefore, you can let them know how appreciative you are of their adaptability. This is sure to maintain a good rapport between you and this client in the long run.
Therefore, let’s see this phrase in our final example:
Dear Nedah,
Thank you, I greatly appreciate your flexibility!
I will have your commission ready by next week.
Kind regards,
Zackery
Is It Correct to Say “Thank You for Your Patience”?
It is correct to say thank you for your patience when you have kept a client or customer waiting at work.
You can also use this phrase when speaking to your colleagues or employer if they are training you and showing patience as you catch on to your new role.
This phrase is very polite and suitably formal to use in a work email, whether you work at a small business or in a large, corporate company.
Therefore, let’s look at two email examples that include this phrase:
Dear Joseph,
Thank you for your patience. I believe I have gotten the hang of the system now.
Warm regards,
Tahlia
Dear Devan,
An agent will be in touch with you within 48 hours.
We thank you for your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
Chloe at Customer Service
To avoid any future embarrassment, we’ll look at a common grammar error people make when employing this phrase.
Mistake: Using patient instead of patience
- Incorrect: Thank you for your patient.
- Correct: Thank you for your patience.
“Patience” is a noun. Therefore, like most other nouns, it can “belong” to somebody. That’s why you can thank someone for their “patience.” “Patient,” on the other hand, is an adjective. Thus, it can describe someone, but it cannot belong to someone.
If you wanted to rephrase the above using “patient,” you could write it like so:
- Correct: Thank you for being patient.
