GoTo Connect Review

Why GoTo Connect Is Best for Remote Teams

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. 

Usability

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. 

GoTo Connect Features

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. 

Mobile App

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.

Meetings

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.  

AI Chat Analysis

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.

Analytics

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.

GoTo Connect Costs

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.

GoTo Connect Setup

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 Customer Service

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 Drawbacks

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.

Methodology

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.

Overall Value

We recommend GoTo Connect for …

• Businesses that make international phone calls regularly.
• Businesses with hybrid or remote teams that use a wide range of desk phones and devices for calls, conferencing and chat.
• Businesses that already use one of GoTo’s other software products, including IT support, remote access and training.

We don’t recommend GoTo Connect for …

• Businesses with extensive integration requirements for their phone, video or chat tools.
• Businesses that are looking for advanced AI-powered tools and features as standard options to optimize communication and workflows.
• Businesses that want to see transparent pricing when shopping for a new phone system.