When you’re helping customers, team members, or clients, frustration can be inevitable — on both sides. Whether there’s been a miscommunication, a misunderstanding, or a mistake, you need to maintain your composure. Using phrases like “thank you for your patience” can help keep communications positive.
This phrase is a common response used during these often emotional scenarios. People may be reaching out to report delays or errors, dealing with long wait times, or experiencing unexpected complications. Saying “thank you for your patience” acknowledges the inconvenience and shows empathy.
But using “thank you for your patience” repeatedly can make your communications sound scripted — and it can get monotonous for everyone involved. To mitigate agent burnout and customer frustration, or to keep internal interactions feeling genuine, consider incorporating variations that convey a similar sentiment, tailored to match each circumstance better.
Choose a few new ways to say “thank you for your patience” from the list below.
Why “thank you for your patience” is powerful in communication
How your team reacts in the heat of a frustrating customer service situation will color the way customers perceive your brand. Similarly, how employees handle internal delays or setbacks can impact morale and relationships at work. With emotions already high, the last thing anyone should do is inject more negativity into a scenario.
Every negative experience requires three positive experiences to counteract it. That’s why using positive language, such as “thank you for your patience,” can defuse and de-escalate frustrations — whether with customers or colleagues. This language acknowledges the people’s feelings. If your team ignores a situation or deflects blame, it can make others feel unheard or dismissed — leading to more frustration.
However, if your team uses the same phrase over and over (and over and over), this can make customer service seem robotic or internal communications formulaic. That’s why having some alternatives to “thank you for your patience” in your back pocket is essential.
Before selecting a few alternative phrases, let’s understand the role that context plays in choosing the right one at the right time.
When to use (and avoid) this phrase
Using “thank you for your patience” is a helpful way to steer customer service or internal interactions in a positive direction. But it’s not a catchphrase that should be thrown around randomly. Knowing when to use this phrase and when not to is important to maintaining patience and improving the overall experience.
For example, you can use this phrase when handling situations like
- Missed deadlines or shipping delays
- Technical support wait times
- Project setbacks
These situations all require patience — whether the wait time to speak with a representative is longer than usual, a product delivery is delayed, or a project’s timeline needs to change. However, not every scenario warrants a “thank you for your patience,” and its misuse can lead to dissatisfaction.
Here are a few situations when you shouldn’t say “thank you for your patience”:
- When the phrase has already been used once or more
- When the person isn’t acting in a patient manner
- When a genuine apology or solution is more appropriate
Saying “thank you for your patience” in these situations can come across as dismissive or even patronizing.
Tone-matching is also important. If the conversation is casual, adding a “thank you for your patience” may seem like a sudden shift. This particular phrase may be better suited to formal interactions.
Luckily, there are similar phrases that can better match a wide range of situations.
50 alternatives to “thank you for your patience”
Whether you’re speaking to a customer, communicating internally, or sending a professional email, having alternatives to “thank you for your patience” on standby can help you handle tricky situations without overusing a single phrase.
Customer service
When using a “thank you for your patience” alternative with a customer, consider pairing it with a solution-driven statement. Acknowledging your customer’s issue is one thing — solving it is another.
- “We appreciate your understanding.”
- Offers collective team empathy; shows respect
- “Thanks for bearing with us.”
- Keeps it casual; best suited for informal customer conversations
- “We truly value your patience.”
- Doubles down on sincerity and gratitude; circumnavigates inauthenticity
- “We know your time is valuable.”
- Shows respect for the customer’s time while acknowledging the inconvenience
- “Your understanding means a lot to us.”
- Paints the situation as a symbiotic relationship; reframes the issue as a team concern
- “We’re grateful for your continued trust.”
- Builds rapport through appreciation; acknowledges a long-term relationship
- “Thanks for sticking with us.”
- Casual tone and friendliness; best suited for delays
- “We appreciate you hanging in there.”
- Acknowledges the customer’s frustration both casually and empathetically
- “Your understanding is helping us to better serve you.”
- Fosters a sense of teamwork by making the customer part of the solution
- “Thank you for giving us the time to do this properly.”
- Emphasizes a commitment to quality; justifies delays
- “We’re working hard to make this right.”
- Takes an action-centric approach to solving the issue
- “We understand delays can be frustrating.”
- Validates the customer’s feelings through empathy
- “We’re almost there — thank you for waiting.”
- Provides reassurance that the delay will be over soon, along with an acknowledgement
- “Your patience makes a big difference.”
- Places the customer in a central role regarding their issue’s resolution
- “Thank you for your continued cooperation.”
- Varies language if other similar phrases have already been used
- “We appreciate your willingness to wait.”
- Highlights the element of choice; acknowledges the customer has other options
- “You’ve been so patient — thank you.”
- Makes the customer feel appreciated and respected
Internal communication
When communicating internally, your tone could vary — whether you’re speaking with a colleague, manager, or executive. It’s important to strike a proper balance to ensure the tone doesn’t come across as too casual or overly professional.
- “Thanks for hanging in there, everyone.”
- Conveys team purpose; builds camaraderie among team members
- “I appreciate everyone’s flexibility.”
- Encourages team adaptability during times of change
- “Thanks for rolling with the punches.”
- Remains casual, but still acknowledges the inconvenience
- “Thanks for staying with me on this.”
- Makes it personal and acknowledges collaboration
- “Your teamwork means a lot.”
- Praises collective effort and encourages cooperation
- “Appreciate your commitment to getting this right.”
- Acknowledges dedication to detail and accountability
- “Thanks for keeping this moving.”
- Recognizes persistence, even in the face of frustration
- “Thanks for the extra effort.”
- Acknowledges additional time and effort invested
- “I know this took longer than expected.”
- Shows awareness and humility amid delays
- “Thanks for staying engaged as we got aligned.”
- Highlights the resolution as well as the team’s contribution
- “Thanks for helping us get across the finish line.”
- Places teammates at the center of success
- “I know this has been a lift.”
- Acknowledges hardship with empathy
- “Thanks for bearing with the process.”
- Uses empathy to acknowledge procedural challenges
- “Grateful for your continued focus.”
- Encourages persistence during delays
- “Thank you for staying calm during the chaos.”
- Praises teammates for levelheadedness, even in the face of confusion
- “Your patience helped us stay on track.”
- Creates a connection between patience and success
- “We appreciate everyone’s endurance on this.”
- Well-suited for drawn-out projects that test team patience
Professional emails
As a professional, there are countless reasons why you may need to come up with a “thank you for your patience” alternative when responding to an email. Formal and courteous language is best when trying to effectively defuse tense situations.
- “I appreciate your understanding regarding this delay.”
- Acknowledges the issue; polished and neutral tone
- “We are grateful for your flexibility.”
- Praises adaptability in a professional manner
- “Thank you for allowing me the time to respond thoughtfully.”
- Frames delays as intentional and focused on quality
- “Your patience is greatly appreciated.”
- Formal but sincere; can be used in a wide range of situations
- “Thank you for your continued partnership.”
- Emphasizes the professional relationship
- “I appreciate your time and attention.”
- Acknowledges effort rather than just patience
- “Thank you for following our process.”
- Highlights cooperation and compliance
- “Your cooperation is sincerely appreciated.”
- Formally places value on teamwork
- “Thank you for your thoughtfulness.”
- Acknowledges mental effort and contribution
- “Thank you for your kind understanding.”
- Shows extra appreciation for professionals who show mutual respect
- “Thank you for your grace as we navigate this.”
- Refined way to express empathy and appreciation
- “I’m grateful for your understanding and support.”
- Balances appreciation for patience and cooperation
- “Your patience has been instrumental.”
- Emphasizes the value of cooperation; positions the recipient as a valued partner
- “Thank you for giving us the opportunity to address this fully.”
- Reframes delays as a pathway to quality
- “I value the time you’ve given us.”
- Recognizes time as a valuable asset being given graciously
- “I appreciate your professionalism throughout this process.”
- Acknowledges mutual respect during challenging times
These phrases are just a jumping-off point. You can expand upon them, or come up with your own phrases to better match your personal communication style. But keep in mind that, while these phrases are all variations of “thank you for your patience,” the sentiments vary — and they’ll be received differently.
How to choose the right version based on the situation
Selecting the appropriate “thank you for your patience” alternative in a given situation will require some analysis on your part. Take these three key factors into account when determining the proper etiquette:
- Tone, or how formal or conversational the communication leans
- Context, or what the inquiry is about
- Audience, or who you’re speaking to
Polite customer service responses will require a higher level of empathy and humanity than communication with internal teams, which can be more personal but should still show respect. Professional interactions outside of team meetings will require the highest level of professionalism and formality.
Of course, considering these factors can be draining at scale, which is why using a secondary tool to streamline the response process may be beneficial.
Automate context-ready replies with Jotform Instagram Agent
Creating a unique “thank you for your patience” message for each customer on social media can be a time-consuming process. With a digital assistant in your toolkit, you can streamline your customer service by eliminating the grind of writing polite responses.
Jotform Instagram Agent automates this process by securely connecting to your Instagram account, monitoring incoming messages, and crafting AI-generated responses based on context. This tool helps you automatically respond to DMs, story replies, and comments on Instagram, keeping you responsive, relevant, and reachable even when offline.
Instagram Agent lets you be everywhere at once — without actually having to be. It enables direct connection with customers through comments on your posts, sending thank yous, answering frequently asked questions, and driving traffic elsewhere on your behalf.
Using this tool can simplify your client communication process. But to train a digital assistant to match your personal tone of voice, it’s important to have experience crafting your own professional responses.
Writing professional apology messages that include empathy
Relationships rely on empathy to thrive long term. Customers want to feel seen and heard by the brands they’re financially committed to, especially when things go wrong. Similarly, team members want to feel valued and understood when navigating challenges or delays. Acknowledging someone’s patience is the first step in treating them empathetically — and adding professional apology phrases can take this to the next level.
Whether you’re using “thank you for your patience” or an alternative, adding an apology to the end of your sentence can make all the difference. It demonstrates accountability and enhances a sense of understanding.
But the recipient will also be able to tell when an apology isn’t genuine or well-thought-out. That’s why professional apologies must be
- Sincere
- Specific
- Timely
Here are a few examples to bookmark for your next professional interaction:
- Customer service: “Thank you for your patience, and I’m sorry if the delay on that order has caused you any inconvenience. I’m working on getting it fixed as we speak.”
- Project management: “I appreciate everyone’s flexibility as we adjust timelines, and I’m sorry for the unexpected change to your work schedules.”
- Freelancing: “Thank you for allowing me the time to review your edits carefully, and I apologize if it has taken me longer than expected to respond.”
Your professional apology phrases will vary depending on your exact situation, and you’ll want to closely consider the context before you respond.
Want to streamline this process? Try using Jotform Instagram Agent or other Jotform AI Agents. They can be trained on the information you give them, including tone of voice guidelines and previous interactions, to help with replying quickly and appropriately.
FAQs
There are plenty of alternatives to “thank you for your patience.” The one you choose to use in your business email will depend on the situation, tone, and context of your communication. You could try saying “we appreciate your understanding” or “thanks for bearing with us,” depending on the formality of your email.
Empathy begins with acknowledging the person’s feelings. Make your customer, client, or colleague feel heard by issuing an apology and taking responsibility for the delay. You can then show your appreciation for their patience by using language that’s both genuine and specific to the scenario.
The phrase “thank you for your patience” may be considered overused if it’s repeated without the proper context in response to a severe delay or to someone who is clearly not displaying patience. These situations may call for alternative phrasing to avoid further escalation.
If the situation calls for it, absolutely. This is particularly true when delays or issues are the fault of you or your organization. Pairing professional apology phrases with the acknowledgment of the other person’s feelings can build trust and display a high level of professionalism.
This guide is for anyone who writes status updates, apologies, or delay notices and wants to sound human, not scripted; from customer support leaders and frontline agents to social/community managers, client-facing teams, and solo consultants.
Send Comment: