If you own or run a business, carefully choose the area code for your company’s telephone number. Not every area code has the same reputation and some even come with prestige.
Take for example the 212 area code. These three digits are famous not only in New York city but throughout the USA and the world. Especially in business circles.
That is because the 212 area code is a status symbol.
It says that you’re from Manhattan, the allured borough in the world’s financial capital. It also says that you’re running your company so successful that you can afford an office in The City. That’s some serious credibility coming from something as simple as a telephone number.
But, how can I get a 212 area code if I’m not from Manhattan? – you ask. The answer is simple – buy an inactive phone number with this holy grail of area codes and port it to your cell phone.
In the rest of this article, you’ll learn more about what this area code is, what are the benefits of using it for your business and how you can get it. But first, a piece of history behind area codes.
A brief history of area codes in the USA
“Hello? Operator?”
That is what you had to say each time you wanted to call someone before AT&T and Bell Systems created the first 86 area codes in January of 1947. In the early years of landline telephony, operators were responsible for connecting the caller to the recipient. Area codes automated the process by routing long-distance phone calls and replacing operators in the process.
What is a 212 area code?
212 is the area code that covers Manhattan. However, at its inception in 1947, it used to cover all five boroughs of New York:
- Manhattan
- Brooklyn
- Bronx
- Queens
- Staten Island
By the end of the century, as the number of telephone users grew, the rest of the boroughs got other area codes, even though they’re part of the same geographic area. Manhattan eventually extended to 646 and 332.
Still, the 212 area code is the only one that people think of when they think of New York’s coveted borough. At this moment, 98% of 212 phone numbers are assigned, which means that 2% are available – you just have to know where to look.
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Benefits of the 212 area code number
All businesses, big and small, can benefit from having 212 area code phone numbers because:
- It is a sign of prestige, especially in New York
- It’s a sign of success
- It increases the trustworthiness of your business
- It indicates that you might be well connected
Prestigious area code
If your business venture has anything to do with New York, your company phone numbers must start with the 212 area code. In NY, these three digits spell prestige and open previously closed doors.
However, the fame of 212 extends far outside the borders of The Big Apple. Most Americans as well as many business people all around the world know that this area code is a status symbol. Rest assured that a business card with that number in the brackets holds much more weight than one without it.
212 means success and trustworthiness
Since the number shows that you have offices in Manhattan, it also implies that you run a successful and trustworthy business. Only a company worth its mettle can afford rent in the most expensive of New York’s boroughs. That further attracts people to doing business with you, which makes you trustworthy before you even get a chance to prove yourself.
212 helps you stand out
In the sea of small and medium-sized businesses, you must do everything in your power to stand out from the crowd, especially if you’re new. One of the most popular area codes is the fastest and easiest way to do that. Once you get it, all that’s left to do is network as much as possible to gain exposure to your true-New Yorker identity.
212 means good connections
Good connections can go a long way, especially in the art world. That’s why, if your company deals in art exhibitions, concerts or publishing of any sort, both aspiring artists and venues would flock to you, expecting to expand their networks – only because they have your phone number with the area code 212 in their phones.
Even though the 212 area code phone numbers come with all the perks one business person can think of, getting a hold of them isn’t exactly a walk in the park.
Is it hard to get a 212 area code phone number?
Even though you can request some area codes from your phone carrier when you purchase a new number, you won’t be able to do so with the 212 area code because it’s discontinued. There’s a finite number of these phone numbers out there so you’d have to be a bit more creative than going to a Verizon store to get a hold of one.
How can you get a 212 telephone number?
Because AT&T stopped issuing new 212 phone numbers in 2010, the only way to get one today is when a customer of Verizon or another phone carrier eventually gives one up. Thankfully, businesses such as yours don’t have to be located in New York or move to NY to use these coveted three digits. The fact that you can port the area code to your cell phone means you can live in Montana and still have a Manhattan-grade business number.
The question remains – how do you get one?
Luckily, some websites sell 212 area code phone numbers. You can get a standard Manhattan telephone number for a one-time fee of around $150. Alternatively, you can choose more memorable numbers that range from a couple of hundreds of dollars to even thousands.
As a matter of fact, there are websites specialized in selling vanity numbers. At the time of writing, one such website is selling the phone number (212) 970-8888 for a whopping $4,999.99! Eight is considered a lucky number in many Asian cultures so this price shouldn’t surprise you.
Also, you can search for an ideal number on eBay. People that are moving out of New York sometimes choose to sell their right to use the number on this website. For the same reason, phone companies will occasionally have the 212 area code phone numbers available.
Assuming you found a number you like, what remains is to learn how to port it to your cell phone.
How to port a 212 landline number to a cell phone?
If you bought a Manhattan number, chances are it’s a landline one, which means you’ll have to port it to your cell phone. Thankfully, it’s an easy process that only requires you to inform your phone carrier about this – the rest is on them. Generally, it takes two to ten business days to port a number from wireline to wireless.
Please check whether or not a phone carrier will charge you a one-time fee for porting.
The federal communications commission warns that both numbers might be operational during a porting period. That means you shouldn’t advertise your new phone number until it has completely transitioned from the wireline.
The final question remains: What if you need more 212 area code phone numbers? In that case, you need a reliable website that sells them and one of the best business phone systems to help you manage sales and customer support collaboration. This is where Ringblaze comes to your aid.
How can Ringblaze help you use 212 area code phone numbers effectively?
When you need to effortlessly manage multiple 212 area code phone numbers from a centralized dashboard, that’s when you need a VoIP phone system like Ringblaze.
As soon as you have a sales team, you must find a way for their seamless cooperation. Ringblaze offers exactly that – a collaborative dashboard on which each call gets an assigned owner so there’s no confusion about who has to contact who.
Rignblaze gets rid of duplicate calls
Duplicate calls are annoying, even if the caller ID has the 212 area code in it. You’re potentially ruining its reputation if you’re not handling your calls professionally. Ringblaze allows call assignment and commenting on calls so your sales team always knows what to do and what not to do.
Not only will you get rid of duplicate calls, but your phone customer service team will build rapport easier. That’s because you can assign the same agent to the same customer, should their problem take longer to solve.
Ringblaze will boost your SMS marketing efforts
Being that the millennial generation is increasingly becoming the one with the most purchasing power, you might want to know how they communicate with businesses. According to research by OpenMarket, 83% of them prefer texting a business over calling it. That’s why SMS marketing can be critical to your company’s success.
And if you are a small business, you’ll be happy to discover that 63% of small businesses use a VoIP texting service like Ringblaze to manage messaging.
What Ringblaze offers in this respect is the same bird’s-eye view you get for managing calls. You get an overview of the completion of SMS marketing campaigns and their reply rates.
It’s ideal for multi-office and work-from-home teams
Since Ringblaze is hosted on the Google Cloud Platform, your team can be spread around the country and still be able to deliver top-of-the-line sales calls and customer service. Also, more people choose to work from home now than before the pandemic and Ringblaze is a great way for your company to facilitate this for your employees.
Conclusion
Now that you know the story behind the 212 area code and how these simple three digits can do wonders for businesses of all sorts, you might already be on the lookout for these telephone numbers that spell success.
With a Manhattan phone number, you’re sure to turn some heads, stand out from the sea of competitors and increase your company’s trustworthiness and reputation.
Ringblaze as a VoIP service helps you maintain that reputation by handling your calls and messaging from a centralized dashboard that your sales and customer service teams can access from anywhere in the world.
Sign up for a free trial (no credit card required).
212 area code: FAQs
Manhattan, New York is the location that uses the area code 212. At its inception, it used to cover all five boroughs of the city.
212 area code is in the Eastern Daylight Time (ET).
Nobody owns a phone number because it’s considered a public resource. Phone companies grant usage rights to their end users, while the federal communications commission controls how the process goes.
Yes, it can. Since all phone carriers offer porting services from landline to cell phone, you can have a 212 area code on your mobile.
A 212 number is worth anywhere from $150 to a couple of thousands of dollars. Depending on how memorable or lucky the number is considered, it will cost more.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to get a 212 number from phone companies. Instead, you buy a 212 number from a vendor like 212areacode dot com and then you ask Verizon to port it to your mobile phone.
