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Many new businesses or very small companies don’t have an office these days and rely on their employees to work remotely. Team members still need to collaborate though, which is where an effective business phone system that’s compatible with a wide array of hardware comes in. GoTo Connect’s all-in-one cloud phone system combines a cloud-based business phone system with instant team-chat functionality and one-click video meetings for up to 250 participants.
The platform is especially useful in remote work and hybrid roles thanks to its compatibility with a wide range of hardware. Team members can access the system via any internet-connected device, and it includes a full-featured mobile app for Android and iOS that offers the same functionality as the desktop application. Unlike most providers in this category, GoTo Connect offers unlimited user accounts with all of its cloud phone platforms. These features combine to create a platform that’s ideal for distributed teams and remote or hybrid workforces.
Tools like Find me/Follow me help ensure that calls are answered even when you step away from your computer or main business phone. Source: GoTo
9.2 / 10
GoTo Connect puts all-in-one communications on any device with an internet connection, making it easy for teams with different hardware to collaborate effectively from anywhere in the world. This is especially useful for new businesses that don’t have an office or companies on a tight budget that want to avoid paying for commercial real estate. GoTo Connect is compatible with 180 desk phones and accessible through the desktop application on macOS and Windows, mobile app on Android and iOS devices, and web browsers to provide remote teams with a multitude of ways to connect.
GoTo Connect’s team messaging and one-click video conferencing tools make it easy to jump into ad hoc meetings with screen sharing to reduce the barriers between remote workers and teams. With the basic Phone System plan, which is suitable for most startups and businesses on a budget, you’ll have access to customizable auto-attendants, call routing and call queues to help build a reliable phone system for employees and customers spread across the country or globe.
GoTo Connect keeps remote communications secure with encryption and continuous monitoring, as well as regular SOC 2 audits and public SOC 3 reporting. With free calling in more than 50 countries, GoTo Connect is an attractive option for international companies with remote employees.
We like how GoTo Connect looks and feels more like consumer software than a business tool. For new businesses where team members have a lot to learn, this means one less thing that requires extensive training. While GoTo Connect is missing some of the time-saving automations and helpful artificial intelligence (AI) features offered by many competitors, it has more than enough tools for most startups and very small businesses. That means GoTo Connect is not quite as easy to use as Ooma and Dialpad. [Check out our Ooma review and Dialpad review to learn more about these user-friendly business phone systems.]
GoTo Connect does have an especially easy-to-use visual dial plan tool with a handful of templates to help you implement your first call flow and customize features such as call routing and ring groups as your company grows. Beyond complete system access through Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and web browsers, the platform’s usability is bolstered by its compatibility with 180 desk phones and the option to add an adapter to older analog phone models and deliver Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications.
All GoTo Connect cloud phone plans come with unlimited ring groups. Source: GoTo
The video conferencing tool included with both plans is designed to lower barriers to communications with one-click meetings that don’t require participants to download or install any software. We were very impressed with the 250-participant limit for video meetings, which is well above average in this category and perfect for businesses that conduct all-hands meetings throughout the year.
You’ll find about 30 integrations for the phone system, including Salesforce CRM, Google, Microsoft, Slack and Zapier. However, the all-in-one platform’s usability could be improved with the addition of more native third-party software integrations.
Mobile app | The full-featured business phone mobile application is available with all subscription plans. |
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Meetings | Video conferencing tools allow for up to 250 participants and 50 simultaneous webcams. |
AI chat analysis | This tool provides AI-powered sentiment analysis and chat summaries. |
Analytics | Historical and real-time data are presented in easy-to-understand, color-coded charts. |
All GoTo Connect cloud phone system plans come loaded with excellent call-handling features and tools. These include many advanced features that are normally reserved for middle- or upper-tier plans, like call recording, paging, meeting transcription, single sign-on and real-time reporting — that’s great news for businesses on a budget that would otherwise miss out on these tools. If it had more AI-powered features, GoTo Connect’s entry-level Phone System plan could compete with, if not outperform, a few top-tier plans from its competitors.
Although most cloud-based phone services include mobile access, not all service providers offer a full-featured version at every subscription level. The app makes it easy to make calls using different phone numbers, thereby allowing sales or customer service reps to dial from the appropriate number. In addition to messaging, meeting and calling tools, the app provides access to shared contacts.
You can also use your cell phones as part of a call flow or ring group, which can save new businesses and those on a budget from purchasing additional hardware. Switching between devices during calls is seamless, which means the person on the other end will not know you’re moving the conversation between your desk phone, computer or mobile device.
GoTo Connect expanded its video capabilities to offer video meetings for up to 250 participants with 50 simultaneous webcams. As part of our review process, we regularly participate in live video demonstrations. We found that the live and recorded video meetings that GoTo Connect conducted for this review were thorough and easy to understand, and the video quality and audio quality were excellent. In addition to great performance, this tool offers screen sharing, drawing tools, in-session chat, breakout rooms and webcam previews with one-click meetings that don’t require a download.
GoTo’s new AI-powered chat feature is designed to expand data-driven insights. The tool follows each customer conversation to provide a positive, negative or neutral sentiment score regarding the customer interaction. Conversation summaries allow managers and supervisors to easily identify coaching opportunities or exemplary work to provide positive feedback. This advanced feature is included only with GoTo Connect’s Complete CX cloud phone and Contact Center plans.
GoTo Connect’s color-coded charts make it easy to identify key metrics in areas such as total calls and percentage of calls answered to measure agents’ performance. Admins can glance at data sets and immediately spot calling trends to make scheduling changes or help identify a top performer within the sales team.
With the Complete CX plan, you’ll expand your insights with custom dashboards and interaction details showing the customer journey from start to finish. This tier also provides access to supervisor analytics with live call and chat queue details that managers can use to take over the conversation when necessary.
Based on reviews from previous years when GoTo Connect charged based on the number of user accounts, prices ranged from $29 to $39 for a single user, depending on the service tier. At those rates, GoTo would be priced on the higher side along with Aircall, Nextiva and RingEX. This may be cost-prohibitive for small businesses on a tight budget, but may be suitable for startups with more funding at their disposal. [Read our Nextiva review and Aircall review to learn more about each of these business phone systems.]
In addition to GoTo’s three cloud-based phone systems, the company offers a separate contact center plan designed for seamless omnichannel support.
Plan | Price | Features |
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Phone System | No public pricing available | 1,000 toll-free minutes, unlimited users, free international calling to more than 50 countries, desktop and mobile apps, 24/7 customer support, smart call routing, unlimited auto-attendants, unlimited ring groups, hot desking, call recording, intercom, paging, virtual fax, team messaging, SMS/MMS, video meetings with 250 participants, meeting transcriptions, breakout rooms, real-time analytics, single sign-on and multisite admin |
Customer Engagement | No public pricing available | Everything in the Phone System plan, plus one shared inbox, custom surveys, AI messaging assistant, text campaigns, web chat widget, Facebook/Instagram messenger channel and custom dashboards |
Complete CX | No public pricing available | Everything in the Customer Engagement plan, plus multichannel inboxes, AI chat analysis, advanced call routing, call campaigns, tag management, call monitoring, auto-queue callback, agent dashboards, supervisor analytics and custom roles |
If you’re not porting an old phone number, you could navigate the DIY setup wizard and get a basic business phone system up and running in minutes. For most businesses that are adding a few extensions, numbers and menu options, it shouldn’t take more than a few hours to set up, test and start using the system. As with any new business phone system, you could wait anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks for your previous service provider to release your phone number.
You can set a port date and initiate the phone number transfer whenever you’re ready. Source: GoTo
GoTo Connect makes implementation and management easy with the recently updated dial plan editor. This tool has an intuitive flow builder that features unique colors to distinguish actions. You can select from templates for an auto-attendant with a schedule, a call queue, a simple dial plan, an external number and a very basic auto-attendant to help map your system for you. We were very impressed with the way the new inspector feature turns your call flow into an analytics report, showing you exactly how calls are moving through your system to help you design the perfect menu.
You can use the Inspector tool to see how calls are moving through your call plan and help you optimize your menu options. Source: GoTo
GoTo Connect includes the same 24/7 customer support with all of its cloud phone systems. We found that especially important for new businesses that need additional support and remote teams that may require help troubleshooting issues. Customers can reach a support specialist by phone, email or chat widget on the support site’s virtual assistant.
In addition to providing personal support and troubleshooting, GoTo Connect offers an online DIY resource center with remote-work tips, webinars, product guides, e-books, whitepapers and industry insights to help you make better use of your communications tools. The company also provides training through YouTube videos and a series of on-demand courses.
GoTo Connect’s lack of transparent pricing makes it difficult for businesses to compare this service against competing offerings. For many small businesses, it may not be worth the inconvenience of having to engage with a sales rep to inquire about the cost.
Although GoTo Connect offers a few AI-powered tools, including sentiment analysis, with its Complete CX phone plan, the platform is beginning to feel like it’s missing AI productivity features across the ecosystem. RingEX added a number of AI-powered features as part of its major update for 2024, and Dialpad has included these voice intelligence tools for many years. With the increasing popularity of tools such as ChatGPT, the inclusion of AI-powered language processing tools is starting to feel like an essential feature in the business phone market.
When searching for the top business phone systems, we investigated more than a dozen platforms. We researched and analyzed each offering, participated in demos whenever possible, and tried free and paid plans. We evaluated each solution based on its tools and features, pricing, limitations, ease of use, setup process and customer service options. We determined that GoTo Connect is the best business phone system for remote teams, thanks to its easy access across desk phones, computers, mobile devices and web browsers, as well as the one-click conferencing for immediate face-to-face collaboration from any device in any location.
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