You need to have a lot of patience working with the general public, and especially on assignments where you interact with people outside the company. As a receptionist working with the general public, I learned to go over...above... and beyond the call of duty by being patient, having mercy, and extending grace when permitted. That does not mean that I let people take advantage of me, it just means that I'm human and desire to treat people like I would like to be treated, because they are also human and not just a number or a name that I call from a computer list.

Sometimes I also had to be firm (when enforcing company rules and regulations such as when people showed up more than 15 minutes late for their appointment, and I simply could not take them). Even though arriving late may not have been their fault - because they may have gotten stuck in traffic, or an emergency situation occurred, the rules still applied. Often they became very angry, but I still kept my cool and did not argue with them but showed compassion and understanding. I also offered to reschedule them for another date and time -- which they agreed to take most of the time.