Response time is key in business

What does your response time mean and what is an acceptable amount of time to respond? My personal feeling is that 24 hours is an acceptable response time Monday through Friday. Most times, I respond within 2 hours during regular business hours. Anything longer than 24 hours and you risk a frustrated client. I do think that if a fire pops up, you should respond sooner, but typically 24 hours is sufficient when conducting general business.

I use this guideline to respond when giving any kind of proposal and if questions arise about said proposal.

What does it say about you if your response time is longer or non-existent? It says that you are not interested. Whether it's because you are too busy, don't want to continue a business relationship or just have poor follow-through, it says you are not interested in obtaining or keeping my business.

I choose to conduct business with others who are responsive. I have picked up many clients and vendors based on responsiveness. I have heard clients complain that they had contacted another designer(s) prior to choosing me. What wins their business? Knowing that I desire to work with them through producing great work and through being responsive to them.