GoToConnect review
Searching for the best VoIP service for your business? Then it’s worth taking a closer look at GoToConnect, the successor to the popular Jive VoIP platform. GoToConnect offers inexpensive pricing for small and medium-sized businesses, compatibility with an enormous range of devices, and plenty of advanced features to manage and route your calls.
On top of that, this software includes the GoToMeeting video conferencing software, so you can host video meetings with up to 250 participants.
In our GoToConnect review, we’ll cover everything you need to know to decide if this VoIP service is the best choice for your business.
Plans and pricing
GoToConnect offers three pricing plans: Basic, Standard, and Premium. Basic starts at $24/user per month, Standard starts at $29.00/user per month, and Premium at $39.99/user per month.
As the pricing structure suggests, Premium offers the full feature set (including some great support features), up to 250 meeting participants, as well as features such as voicemail to email, paging, call forwarding and real-time analytics.
The Standard plan offers a very similar feature-set but minus the Support features and with fewer meeting participants, with Basic being true to its name: the feature-set here has limited function when compared to the other tiers.
Find out more at the GoTo website.
Features
GoToConnect supports over 180 different models of desktop phones and conference room speaker systems. You can also use the GoToConnect desktop and mobile apps to place calls directly from your computer or smartphone. Notably, the service also offers support for SMS messages in the US and Canada.
The GoToConnect software includes essential features like caller ID, call forwarding, and call recording. However, this platform doesn’t come with its own storage space for your recorded calls. You’ll need to purchase and connect a third-party cloud storage service.
GoToConnect also has several different modes for supervisors to monitor calls. For example, you can use Spy Mode to monitor an existing conversation without being heard or use Whisper Mode to be heard only by your employee and not the other caller. Of course, you can also jump into an ongoing call as a regular three-way audio conference.
Another plus, particularly for call centers and sales departments, is that GoToConnect offers very detailed call reporting. Administrators can see how many calls are coming in to each user or extension, how long those calls last, and even what US states they’re coming from.
The software also provides a complete activity log that catalogs every call placed over your network, so you can export the data and run your own analyses as needed.
While GoToConnect is primarily a VoIP service, it also gives you access to the GoToMeeting video conferencing platform. You can host an unlimited number of video meetings, each with an unlimited duration and up to 250 participants.
GoToMeeting is itself quite comprehensive, offering features like screen sharing, a virtual whiteboard that enables participants to collaboratively draw on presentations, and in-meeting chat.
Interface and in use
We found GoToConnect’s web-based administrator dashboard to be fairly straightforward. If you use phone hardware sold by GoTo, the software will automatically recognize your devices. All you need to do is associate them with a phone number or extension.
If you use your own hardware, the process is largely the same, except that you’ll need to install the GoToConnect software on your devices before setting phone numbers.
Setting up some of GoToConnect’s more advanced features did involve a little more work. For example, connecting a cloud storage space to hold call recordings wasn’t straightforward. GoToConnect offers instructions if you’re using Amazon S3, but not for popular cloud platforms like Google Drive or Dropbox.
One of the things we liked best about using GoToConnect was its advanced call routing interface. The software includes a visual editor in which you can create a schematic for how calls should be passed through your network based on factors like what number was dialed, where the call originated from, what time of day it is, and how long the phone has been ringing.
The editor enables you to drag and drop individual users and extensions around your schematic, so it’s easy to modify your routing plan at any time. You can also copy an existing routing plan and alter it, which is helpful for creating alternative call plans for occasions like holidays.
Support
GoToConnect offers support by phone and email during weekday business hours. The company also plays a big role in helping you set up your phone system, offering a short training session and consultation after your hardware arrives.
GoToConnect’s online support center is incredibly comprehensive, if a little bit confusing. The company has articles and user guides that answer virtually every question you could think of. However, there are few screenshots or videos, and many steps require you to first visit another how-to article. It’s easy to get lost, so using the documentation center requires some patience.
Security
GoToConnect encrypts all of your communications by default, regardless of whether you’re communicating via VoIP or video call. For both audio and video conferences, you also have the option to lock your meetings. This keeps new participants in a waiting room until you approve them to join the meeting. You can also turn on two-factor authentication for your account to keep it more secure against intrusions.
The competition
GoToConnect’s primary competitor is RingCentral, which similarly bundles VoIP and business messaging with a video conferencing platform. For most businesses, RingCentral will be more expensive.
RingCentral Plans start at $19.99 per user per month (paid annually), but you’ll need to upgrade to a $24.99 per user per month plan if you want more than 20 users, video conferencing, or integrations with software like Google Workspace and Microsoft Office 365.
One key advantage that RingCentral provides is hot desking, which allows users to log in to shared hardware devices around the office with their own extensions and call data. However, RingCentral’s call routing features aren’t as advanced as what GoToConnect offers. For most businesses, we think GoToConnect offers better value and a more flexible VoIP service.
Final verdict
GoToConnect is a very capable VoIP service that bundles phone, SMS messaging, and video conferencing. The service offers a simple, user-based pricing structure and is compatible with over 180 hardware devices so you can continue using your current VoIP-enabled phones.
We especially like GoToConnect’s call routing, monitoring, and reporting features. These give you an impressive amount of control over your phone network and are very easy to use.
Further reading
- Our guide to the best VoIP services
- What is VoIP? A guide for businesses
- How to choose a small business VoIP phone service
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