Jive is a cloud-based phone software that allows users to make or receive calls from anywhere, at any time, and on any device.
Now acquired by GoTo Connect, Jive brings its sophisticated VoIP phone system to meet with GoTo Connect’s collaborative online meeting features to create an all-in-one communication and collaboration tool for businesses of all shapes and sizes.
GoTo Connect stands up well against the top contenders in the business VoIP Phone service market. But instead of just telling you what we think, we took a deep dive into GoTo Connect’s software to bring you an in-depth review to assist you in drawing your own conclusions.
Compare Jive to The Best Business VoIP Phone Services
Since merging with GoToMeeting’s online meeting software, Jive is no longer recognized as just a VoIP phone system provider. Instead, it’s known as the unified communication system GoTo Connect–a force to be reckoned with in the VoIP software world.
GoTo Connect is known for providing feature-rich software for small businesses and enterprises alike. It’s a solid choice for your next VoIP provider.
Compared to some of our top picks, GoTo Connect is not the most cost-effective solution on the market. However, it’s important to note that GoTo Connect includes the same features across all pricing structures, with pricing dictated by the size of your business.
In comparison, other software providers simply include fewer features on the cheaper pricing packages, so if the price is a decisive factor for you, just remember it’s not a straightforward comparison to make.
With all this in mind, Nextiva still stands as one of our top recommendations. Not only does it offer affordable pricing plans that include all the essentials, but it is also HIPAA compliant, meaning you can rest assured that sensitive data will be stored securely in the cloud.
Ooma is also one of our top choices for those looking for an affordable and reliable phone service. Its simple setup process, cost-effective pricing model, and helpful features make it a valuable tool for both personal and business use.
To save you considerable trial and error, we’ve tested dozens of VoIP phone services and written an in-depth review of our findings. See all of our top picks.
Jive: The Good and The Bad
Every VoIP phone service provider has its pros and cons. We’re pleased to report that GoTo Connect has many positives to offer and hardly any negatives. Let’s take a deep dive into GoTo Connect.
The Good
Easy Setup: Don’t have existing VoIP software in place? That’s fine. With GoTo Connect, you don’t need any. And if you do have an existing bulky PBX hardware in place, you can ditch it, knowing you’ll be supported by the convenience of a virtual phone system. What does this have to do with setup? Well, it means instead of waiting weeks for your new hardware to arrive, you can get started with GoTo Connect in a matter of minutes.
Easy Configuration: When Jive joined forces with GoTo Connect, it enhanced GoTo Connect’s call customization opportunities tenfold. Setting up and customizing call flows and routing schedules is a dream come true with the Dial Plan Editor. You can tell the system where to direct calls both inside and outside business hours, how long to keep callers waiting before sending them to voicemail, and which clips to play at what intervals–all within a color-coded, drag-and-drop interface.
Unified Communication Channels: Instead of having different software for each communication channel you want to use in your business, you can have them all under one roof. GoTo Connect features VoIP calling, instant messaging, HD video meetings, and video conferencing. There is not much more you could need to communicate with your prospects.
Work from Anywhere: It’s safe to say we know just how crucial remote working is today. GoTo Connect comes as both a mobile and desktop app that you can download onto any device. Your team will be able to maintain professionalism by making and taking business calls, joining meetings, holding video conferences, and sending instant messages via their smartphones or computers while working from home.
Same Features Included Across All Plans: We love it when software providers make included features the same across the board in its pricing plans. It takes a lot of confusion out of the buying process because you only have to consider the plan based on your user needs. It also means small businesses have a chance to experience feature-rich software without the hefty price tag. With GoTo Connect, you’ll have access to the same features across the board no matter which pricing plan you choose.
24/7 Customer Support: Having a solid customer support team on your side with software that directly affects your sales is vital to the success of your business. GoTo Connect customer support team is renowned for being on top of its game. Helpful professionals are available 24/7 via phone and email support. Users will also have access to an extensive knowledge base filled with video tutorials, a community forum, and answers to all the FAQs. All users have full access to customer service regardless of the pricing plan.
The Bad
No Free Trial: One of our key recommendations to our readers is to try before you buy! Most software offers the opportunity to undertake a free trial period where you can test the capabilities and features of the software before you commit to a plan. Unfortunately, GoTo Connect doesn’t offer this option, so there is a slight risk that this software may not perfectly match your requirements.
HD Video Feed Limitations: Although GoTo Connect includes video conferencing, it’s important to note that HD video feed can only support up to 25 webcams at once. This is likely only going to be a key drawback for large enterprises that hold meetings with more than 25 people at once. The good news is, you can still welcome up to 250 participants in one meeting, they just won’t all be visible.
Jive Pricing and Options
GoTo Connect pricing tiers are simple and easy to understand. Each of the three plans includes all the key features required to get your communications system up and running in no time. Just like other VoIP software, GoTo Connect pricing is based on the number of employees. The more employees you have, the less you’ll pay per user.
The Basic plan starts at $24 per user per month and is geared towards smaller businesses that need a simplified business phone system. The basic plan also includes limited meeting features with a cap of 40 minutes per meeting of up to four participants. Ideally, this plan would be suitable for less than 20 users.
The Standard plan starts at $29 per user per month and offers a fully-featured phone, chat, and video conferencing package. The limits on meeting features extends to 150 participants per meeting of unlimited duration.
Finally, the Premium plan starts at $39 per user per month and includes all standard package features plus GoTo Connects’ support center product. This plan is ideal for those in heavy customer service-based industries who want access to robust call analytics and performance reporting in real-time.
In terms of pricing, GoTo Connect is relatively competitive amongst others in our top picks, if not slightly on the more pricey side. Our number one recommendation, Nextiva, starts at just $18.95 per user per month for a feature-rich plan.
Jive Voice Calls
With Jive’s VoIP phone system, you can take business calls anywhere, at any time. Compatible with over 180 desk phone models, your existing hardware won’t go to waste. But, if you are looking for sleek, modernized VoIP phone hardware, GoTo Connect can help you with that, too.
GoTo Connect allows you to make and receive calls from your laptop or mobile device for remote teams or those who don’t want hardware. This means that your team has the flexibility to work from anywhere while staying connected with your customers.
Jive Video Meetings
When Jive merged with GoTo Connect, it gained a key product—video conferencing. More than ever before, we are working remotely and online. So it’s more important than ever before for businesses to be able to connect visually and virtually with their prospects.
GoTo Connect offers professional one-click video conferencing, allowing you to launch meetings instantly straight from the web app. You can also schedule new meetings or create a series of weekly check-in meetings, storing them in calendars for easy reminders.
Finally and most importantly, your prospects will have no issues joining a GoTo Connect meeting as the conference works right out of the web browser. There’s no need to download unnecessary software or apps. You can simply send them the meeting URL, and they’ll be able to jump right in.
With Jive’s VoIP phone system and GoTo Connect’s video meetings combined into one powerhouse product, you’ll have all the tools you need to communicate and collaborate with your team, partners, and customers.
Jive Admin Tools
Jive also brought across its clever Dial Plan Editor to the GoTo Connect tool to eliminate the traditional complexity of setting up a sophisticated business phone system. With the Dial Plan Editor, you can easily follow call flows or customize the flow using a drag-and-drop visual interface.
You can also set up call-routing schedules for when your business is open, add custom greetings to alert callers of when your business is closed, and divert the calls straight to voicemail when needed.
Finally, stay on top of how well your employees communicate and collaborate with Jive’s clever analytics and reporting dashboard. You’ll have consistently clear visibility into where your team is thriving and where communication could be streamlined more effectively.
Jive Connect Bundle
The GoTo Connect bundle provides all the essential tools a remote team needs to do work from anywhere. The GoTo Connect bundle combines the best of Jive’s VoIP phone system with GoToMeeting’s online meeting software. So instead of juggling multiple communication tools at once, you can keep them all in one place.
Starting from $22 per month, you can make and receive calls and hold basic video conferences.
The Jive VoIP phone system brings some great features to the bundle, such as:
- Custom hold music
- Create customized workflows using Dial Plan editor
- International calling
- Customized call routing to suit your remote workers
You’ll also have access to GoTo Connect’s Contact Center, which is perfect for streamlining productivity in high-volume call centers.
GoTo Connect also brings its video conferencing features to the Connect Bundle by including webinars for up to 150 attendees. Furthermore, you can transcribe the meeting to keep track of the content or share the recording with team members.
How Jive Ranks
As individual tools, Jive and GoTo Connect were great, well-performing products. However, now that they are combined into one tool, GoTo Connect is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with.
Although GoTo Connect is a solid contender for best business VoIP phone service options to consider, it didn’t make our top list on this occasion. This is because other providers such as Nextiva and RingCentral edge them out in some areas.
Nextiva edges GoTo Connect out by combining communication, collaboration, and CRM, right out of the box. Furthermore, for those in the healthcare industry, Nextiva will be your pick. It is HIPPA compliant, meaning that Nextiva can ensure the privacy and security of sensitive data stored in the cloud.
RingCentral, on the other hand, is an excellent and affordable all-in-one solution for small businesses requiring fewer than 10 users. RingCentral is scalable, so you don’t have to worry about your business outgrowing the software. But if you were getting to that stage, it would be worthwhile moving over to a more robust software such as Nextiva or GoTo Connect.
If you’re interested in reading more about our other top picks, you can see all of them here.
- Nextiva – Best VoIP phone service for most businesses
- RingCentral – Most affordable all-in-one solution for fewer than 10 users
- Ooma Office – Best for businesses without in-house IT
- Grasshopper – Best mobile app for solopreneurs and small teams
- Phone.com – Best if you need fewer than 300 minutes per user
- Freshdesk Contact Center – Best for customer support teams
While Jive didn’t make our top list, we would still recommend it as a solid solution for your communication and collaboration needs. Jive has made substantial advancements since first entering the market as a cloud-based phone system.
Now that it has merged with GoTo Connect, its software has only strengthened with the addition of video conferencing and clever call customization tools. Instead of enlisting multiple tools for your communication needs, you’ll have everything you need in one place with GoTo Connect.
Don’t forget, you won’t be able to test this software out with a free trial, so our recommendation is to request a demo, read as much as you can about the software, and make sure it has good potential to meet your business needs before diving in headfirst.
