The Importance of Patience

Patience is a virtue. This is a something we often hear time and time again. But, do you ever take the time to consider patience? I think it’s safe to safe we’re all impatient more often than we’d like to admit. At times, I consider myself a very impatient person. For instance, I get so impatient (and even annoyed) when someone at the grocery store uses the self check out line, but doesn’t know how to work it. It also drives me nuts when it takes more than a few minutes to download a simple program or file. The list goes on and on.

Often times, impatience frequently becomes frustration. How many times have you received a call or support ticket from a frustrated and irritable customer, that made you want to roll your eyes? How about a customer inquiry regarding the poor results of your company’s product? From a customer service perspective, we often forget that we too become frustrated at companies for one reason or another, and have to contact them to resolve our issues. During times like these, it’s always best to empathize with your customers’ concerns because at the end of the day we are all consumers.

As an ongoing technical support representative, I have found that when conversing with a customer over the phone, providing them that reassurance is key. When I provide reassurance to a customer, they become more at ease. I tend to then take that opportunity to find a solution without the stress of their impatience. I can’t tell you how much more clearer a customer thinks when they aren’t impatience and frustrated. A lot of times, customers even resolve their own issues by having a bit more patience. It seems that when customers jump the gun, they often overlook things such as reading the step-by-step instructions to setting up their new phone or the terms and conditions of the website they signed up for.

I cannot emphasize enough how important patience is. I think if everyone practiced it more, they’d find themselves more stress-free, healthier and happier. Not to mention, it also clears the way of easily avoidable mistakes.

Try practicing patience sometime. After all, “A man who is a master of patience is master of everything else.”

Adrian Lopez
Project Manager