Are you guilty of disrespecting your customers? That's arhetorical question, and I'm sure the answer is no. At least I hopethe answer is no.

Our friends at Provide Support sent overan awesome infographic about different reasons customers don't likethe companies they do business with. I don't think you'll disagreewith any of the reasons, and you'll probably hope that your companyis not guilty of what I call Crimes Against the Customer. Withthat said, here are ten of the more flagrant wrongdoings companiesare guilty of, along with some of my commentary:

1. Not appreciating loyalty

I'm amazed at the number of companies that take customers forgranted. At least say thank you. I recently made a purchase at astore and the cashier didn't even bother to say thank you.

2. Not valuing their time

My dad taught me one of the most disrespectful things you can doto anyone (especially a customer) is to be late. If you say you'llbe somewhere or will call someone back at a certain time, do it. Itis basically saying your time is more important than theirs, whichis very disrespectful.

3. Not providing clear contact information

I hate going on a website and having to hunt for an address orphone number. Make it easy to connect with you and yourcompany.

4. Not being easily accessible

How long does it take to reach a live person on the phone? Or,to put another way, how easy are you to connect with? Doingbusiness should be easy. Take the friction out of connecting withyour support and sales people.

5. Putting them on hold for too long

This is another way to disrespect your customer's time. With thetechnology available today, you can inform the customer of how longthe wait will be and give him or her the choice of being calledback within that time or a time that is more convenient to thecustomer. There's no longer an excuse to keep customers on hold forunreasonable periods of time.

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If you want to make sure to irritate your customer, keepthem waiting for a resolution to a problem or complaint. (Photo:iStock)

6. Failing to resolve their issues quickly

When there is a problem or a complaint, don't let it linger.Take care of it as fast as possible. Acting with urgency buildsconfidence and makes the customer feel as if you care about takingcare of their problem.

7. Not giving them opportunity to solve issues on theirown

Self-service options for customer service are becoming thenorm. Many people would rather get answers on their own, so givethem the opportunity to do so. Provide options like a frequentlyasked questions section on your website.

8. Ignoring them on social media

The customer's voice can now be heard by many. Be sure torespond — and do it quickly — to all customers' comments, good andbad. If there is a problem or question, realize the customerexpects an answer quickly, not hours or even days from when theyposted or messaged you on social media.

9. Lack of employee knowledge

If you want to destroy credibility, put untrained people on thefront line. Knowledge creates confidence. If an employee doesn'thave the answer, that's OK. Just make sure they know who to go toor where to go to get the answer.

10. Being rude or unfriendly

With all of the options that customers have to buy similar goodand services from competitors, how can anyone act rude orunfriendly toward the customer? Enough said on that one!

So, if you like these, then be sure to check out theoriginal infographic. There's actually 15Crimes Against the Customer with interesting stats and facts tosupport each one. Great information that may help you stay awayfrom being found guilty by your customers.

Related: How listeners can increase customer satisfactionand sales