A local phone number can help a business grow its credibility with customers on their own turf. It helps you stay accessible to customers who are more likely to answer your calls, and who feel confident they’re reaching a trusted partner — and not an anonymous national corporation. A local number can be the key to loyal customers in area code 608.
If you’re targeting local customers, developing your presence in an area code is the start of your business journey. Are you just getting to know the lay of the land? Here are some important facts about area code 608:
This area code covers cities including: Madison, La Crosse, Platteville, Beloit, and most of southwestern Wisconsin. Its major city is Madison, which has a population of 269,840 people.
The 608 area code touches 20 other counties: Dane, Rock, La Crosse, Sauk, Grant, Monroe, Green, Columbia, Vernon, and Juneau.
You’ll find other area codes nearby including area codes 262 (Kenosha, WI), 319 (Cedar Rapids, IA), 507 (Rochester, MN), 534/715 (Eau Claire, WI), 563 (Davenport, IA), 641 (Mason City, IA), 651 (St. Paul, MN), 779/815 (Rockford, IL), and 920 (Green Bay, WI).
With a local 608 phone number, you can effectively get in front of the right people and establish a foothold in the Madison, WI area.
What’s the startup climate like for new businesses in area code 608? Here are some statistics on population, employment, and core regional businesses:
The largest county in area code 608, Dane County, lies entirely within Central Standard Time. Population in the area is rising slightly. There was a 0.19% population change from 2019 to 2020.
Overall unemployment rates are significant for businesses looking to source talent and grow their presence in a new area. Between 2019 and 2020, the city of Madison’s unemployment rate was 4.8%.
But none of these demographics tell the whole story of new business opportunities in the area. In fact, in area code 608, new enterprises are slightly dropping. Business applications were up 10.00% from 2019 to 2020. And many of these endeavors are thriving with a startup survival of rate 78.90% within Wisconsin.
Startups join an infrastructure of existing titans. In area code 608, newcomers can grow along with Madison, WI’s top ten employers: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Epic, Uw Health, American Family Insurance, State of Wisconsin, Exact Sciences, Epic, Madison Area Technical College, University of Wisconsin Hospital And Clinics, Covance.
New businesses can also benefit from working closely with large existing industries. Wisconsin’s top three industries are:
Madison also ranked 23 for the most connected cities in America, showing it’s a prime place to build a local presence within.
Try out calling and texting with an area code tied to this flourishing region and confirm OpenPhone is a great fit for your business by starting a free seven-day trial of OpenPhone.
Try out calling and texting with an area code tied to this flourishing region and confirm OpenPhone is a great fit for your business by starting a free seven-day trial of OpenPhone.
See which specific 608 phone numbers are available and claim your own Madison, WI number by signing up for a free trial. Here’s how it works: using our service, you can easily set up your local phone number without the need to install any additional hardware. Easily download and install our app, and find the right numbers for your business.
Use the OpenPhone browser, desktop, or mobile app.
OpenPhone lets you get a new business phone number in area code 608. You can even port over your existing number with no service interruptions. Use your number on any cell phone, tablet, or computer using OpenPhone, the #1 rated business phone platform on G2. There’s an app for all your favorite devices so your conversations — and contacts — always stay in one place.
Make and receive calls from across the state or around the world. An OpenPhone business number travels with you wherever you have an internet connection. Best of all, you can use your phone number from anywhere to call anyone in the US or Canada without any long-distance charges. Calls to other countries are just a fraction of what you’d pay with a traditional carrier.
You can also have different numbers for departments, teammates, and locations. If you need a new number, it takes just seconds to activate and assign unique numbers to someone on your team. There are no waiting periods, no trips to the store, and no contracts to sign.
OpenPhone’s modern business phone platform comes packed with features that make looking professional effortless. Start by easily adding a phone menu, caller ID, and away voicemail greeting.
Respond to customers easier when you save go-to message templates as snippets. Stop typing the same responses over and over again, and give your customers reliable answers faster.
You can even automatically send out a text message to missed or after-hours calls. There are so many creative ways to use automatic messaging. Harness your newfound powers to nurture leads or promote sales when you can’t answer business calls.
While you’re at it, get your team aligned, too. You can start by working together off a shared number where your team can split responsibility for incoming calls and messages to your business number. That way, no important calls go unanswered and your team stays on the same page.
Decide which numbers to share with team members. Share the main business number with your entire team or share it with your assistant so after-hours calls get answered. Create departments for small groups. Then everyone can collaborate on any external communication through internal threads. You can even offer direct lines for your employees, too.
Most importantly, your team can quickly catch up on any conversation. Anyone with access to your a shared number inbox can see all voicemails, call history, and text messaging in a single view for every contact.
With your OpenPhone number, you have complete control over your business calls. Know which calls are business and which are personal. Your private number stays private — and when you’re off the clock, you can mute notifications for business calls.
OpenPhone’s flexible suite of features means you’re open for business from any device, anywhere.
Michael Seibel CEO at Y Combinator
Jason Ovryn Co-founder & COO at Carry