お待たせいたしました。 — Sorry to have kept you waiting. (Workplace · Phone, Formal to Client, JLPT N5)

Gesture & etiquette

Light bow (10°) when returning to the customer. Pleasant tone, even if you've been rushing. At a counter, place items being delivered with both hands.

Universal 'sorry to have kept you waiting' phrase — used on phone after hold, in shops returning to a customer, at reception, at restaurants when bringing food. Pairs with '少々お待ちください' (please wait briefly) said before the wait. Always say it upon return, even if the wait was only 10-20 seconds. Standard Japanese service hospitality rhythm.