Small and medium-sized enterprises, and large corporations may operate on different scales, but the choices of cloud-hosted VoIP phone systems allow them to equally take advantage of the latest features. GoToConnect (formerly Jive) offers a wealth of business phone communications features.
Some valuable tools that businesses of all sizes look for in a functional phone system include:
From call recording to conference calling and auto attendants, providers offer affordable options minus the high-priced PBX equipment once used to access these features.
Below is a review of GoToConnect, a business VoIP provider.
Most phone systems come with different service plans based on the number and type of features a business chooses. What makes GoToConnect different is users can access nearly all the tools it offers.
Pricing and terms are based on the number of employees within a company, not the number of features selected. The more users, the less a business pays per person.
Businesses get to choose from five pricing tiers that cost between $20 and $30 per month, per user. Pricing tiers are:
Each one of GoToConnect’s tiers gives businesses full access to all features and tools offered, with the exception of GoToMeeting. This online service is offered as part of GoToConnect’s phone system.
Any business can include this feature at no additional cost with a 13-month contract. Businesses also have the option of paying month to month and access GoToMeeting for an additional $39.95 per month, per user.
Users can also choose from a wide selection of options for desk and conference phones. Price ranges for these phones are between $75 and $800 per phone.
Businesses are not required to sign contracts or pay for the services on an annual basis. However, making a commitment to one or both provides better deals on phones and/or services.
All users of GoToConnect phone systems receive unlimited calling within the United States and Canada. Some locations in Hawaii and Alaska might require an additional charge. Still, users can access over 80 features from this phone system provider.
The system come with 45 basic VoIP features such as:
Administrators can also customize scheduling of time-based call routing where calls get routed during set closed business hours or open hours when everyone is in a meeting, for example.
One feature most businesses will find useful is letting employees share workspace. This hot desking tool allows multiple employees to use the same phone. The way it works is an employee dials *43 and enters their personal code when they need to use that desk or office. The phone is automatically programmed with that employee’s caller ID and extension.
Once they leave that work space, another employee can use the same area by following the same procedure to program their settings.
The GoToConnect phone system also includes call management features such as:
Employees can forward calls to other phones with the find me/follow me feature. This feature also lets them choose when the other phone rings when a call comes in from the original line.
They can choose to activate this feature based on a number of rings. Another option is to have all phones ring simultaneously. Enabling this feature ensures they will not miss a call if the internet is down.
One thing that makes GoToConnect a good phone system selection is it does not cost more for all users to have some contact center services. These services include the following advanced ring strategies:
Video conferencing is available with the GoToConnect system that has the ability to record meetings, click to connect, full screen display, group text chat and SIP security. GoToConnect also offers users the online web conferencing service, GoToMeeting, which includes call me, cloud recording and screen sharing.
With today’s mobile workforce, GoToConnect comes with a mobile app that is compatible with Android and iOS devices. Employees can make and receive calls on the mobile devices that come from their business line.
They can also hold conference calls, view call histories, choose ring tones, and send and receive text messages. The mobile app allows users to set location-based rules through geofencing.
GoToConnect can integrate with a variety of third-party business applications. Some of these include Outlook, Salesforce, Oracle, Zendesk, Zoho and Redtail CRM.
With the GoToConnect phone system, users can get detailed call analytics to review how many calls are handled by the system on a daily or weekly basis. Analytics can show where calls originate from.
In addition to viewing data reports from a business perspective, users can review data from each extension.
The conference calling service is built into GoToConnect’s phone system. The conference bridge feature allows each employee to have up to 10 callers on one call. This is included at no extra cost.
Businesses that need to host conference calls that include more than 10 callers will need a conference calling service that can hose hundreds, or even thousands, of callers at one time.
The Cloud-hosted VoIP phone system from GoToConnect is easy to use because it does not require special types of PBX equipment or hardware. Companies use the same internet connection for their phone lines as they do for other areas of the business. Because of this, GoToConnect recommends installing a business-class router, a firewall for accessing http, https and UDP traffic on the business’s network, and an Ethernet switch capable of Quality of Service.
Having the necessary bandwidth to cover the call volume for the business is another critical factor. The internet bandwidth for each GoToConnect call is 100kpbs. The right amount of bandwidth will cover voice calls and computer traffic.
Businesses will not need to have a trained IT department to handle the GoToConnect system. It runs smoothly while GoToConnect takes care of the maintenance and upgrades of this cloud-hosted system.
Businesses that decide to buy phones from GoToConnect will receive pre-configured devices that are ready for use once they are plugged in. Buying phones from a different provider is optional, but businesses will need to work with GoToConnect’s support team to ensure the phones are configured properly to work with the VoIP system.
Additionally, GoToConnect allows its clients to choose local or toll-free phone numbers. Local numbers are selected from over 200 area codes nationwide. Businesses get charged 1.9 cents per minute for calls coming in on toll-free lines.
Established businesses that wish to keep their existing number can do so by porting the number from the current phone service provider. Typically, it takes between 5 and 18 days to complete the number transfer.
The entire GoToConnect VoIP phone system is controlled through an online portal. The portal can be accessed from an internet connected device. Assigned administrators are able to complete a number of functions such as:
Employees are also able to access the online portal if they need to make changes to their settings. Users can access such features as online fax settings, call forwarding and voicemail. Additionally, employees can make and receive calls from their computer by using a softphone. They can also start video meetings and instant message coworkers.
GoToConnect is an extremely reliable phone system on the market with a 99.99% uptime with 11 international data centers, which include seven in the United States.
GoToConnect offers customer support for every area of its phone system. Businesses can get help with onboarding, phone support and network readiness, among other things. Contacting the company proved fruitful in determining how well they are willing to resolve client issues.
Whether by phone or email, helpful representatives greet prospective clients the same. They provide detailed answers to any questions while helping a caller clearly understand every aspect of the system’s platform. This included how it works, pricing structure, available features and use of the mobile app.
Follow up via email with calls seemed standard to ensure a prospective client did not have additional questions. Representatives were also prompt with responding to emailed questions.
Clients and prospective clients have several options for reaching customer service: by phone, email or a live chat 24/7. In addition, GoToConnect’s company website has plenty of helpful information, user guides, FAQs, videos and data sheets.
A GoToConnect drawback is for any business that needs extensive contact center services that includes automatic call-back, agent scripting, skill-based routing and other essential functions of a call center, it will need to connect with InContact, which is one of GoToConnect’s partners. Most other phone system provides keep contact center services in-house.
Of all the systems on the market, GoToConnect is the better choice to have a business phone system that comes with excellent features and tools. It is an excellent cloud-hosted VoIP system for businesses of all sizes. Users get more for the price with over 80 contact center, mobile, collaboration and calling features.
The array of tools within the GoToConnect phone system helps to unify employees with internal and external clients. Both voice and video calls are sufficiently supported by the system, while integrating well with a business’s existing CRM system.
