BroadConnect Reviews

BroadConnect

8

User Reviews

3.7/5

Average Rating

63%

Recommended

Total:

8

5-Star:

5

4-Star:

0

3-Star:

0

2-Star:

2

1-Star:

1

Broadconnect Telecom Review by WhichVoIP

Broadconnect Telecom was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario but has offices throughout Canada and the USA. They have an "A" rating with the BBB.

Broadconnect offers an impressive full suite of services including Hosted PBX, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), SIP Trunking, Cloud computing, Business Internet service (private network), hosted call centers and full audio and video conferencing. This enables you to receive all of your communications needs from one provider and on one monthly bill. This review will focus on their hosted PBX solution.

The Good

One advantage with its platform is that it is able to run on a private voice and data network rather than the public Internet. This solves many of the issues other providers come across such as packet loss, jitter and high latencies with the end result being high quality phone calls. It also offers an advanced security over providers that use the public Internet to send voice traffic.

There are two plan options, fixed pricing and flexible pricing. Plans include unlimited calling in USA/CAN, unlimited extensions, unlimited Internet fax and 7x24x365 network monitoring/management.

Core features include auto attendant, messaging and presence, voicemail to email, various integrations (CRM, Outlook, PC toolbar), call management, find me/follow me, efax and mobile integrations. They also provide some advanced features such as call reporting, call recording, conferencing, collaboration, and call center features. A web portal is used to configure features to your needs.

If you have an existing legacy PBX system they have a VoIP migration option that is worth considering which allows you to reuse your existing phones and wiring to reduce up front capital costs.

You can buy IP phones directly from Broadconnect, in many cases at wholesale prices. They have various types available, including desktop, video, conference, and wireless, as well as from brands such as Polycom, Cisco, Avaya and Panasonic. Headsets and other accessories are also available to purchase.

The BroadTouch MobileLink App for Apple, Android and Blackberry provides a mobile solution for your business. MobileLink turns a Smartphone into a fully functional office phone. The App provides call history, directory search and the ability to set up all the features, such as call forwarding rules.

Emergency technical support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via a toll-free phone number which is great. They also have a live chat option and a support email for general inquiries. For general inquiries via phone the hours are 8am to 8pm EST, Monday through Friday. The knowledgebase on their website is decent but not as comprehensive as some of their competitors. They do have datasheet/guides for all the phones they sell.

You can port your existing phone number, which typically takes 10-12 business days. A temporary number is provided during this time. You can even port cellular numbers from any of the Canadian mobile providers.

The Bad

If you want to get the best quality and network security you will need to use their Internet service also. This may be more costly than your existing solution.

There appears to be no terms of service link available on their website. This is a little concerning as typically this is where providers display their fair usage policy (i.e. how many minutes does "unlimited calling" actually mean) and additional fee information (like disconnection fees and number porting fees). If you contact Broadconnect for further information we recommend asking them about fair usage policies and any additional fees. It may be that unlimited does truly mean unlimited in this case.

The Bottom Line

  • Fixed Pricing Plan: This plan has a fixed fee per user per month. The per user rate changes based on the number of users. The most expensive is the 1 user tier at $39.99/mo per user. Other tiers include 2 to 19 users at $29.99/mo per user, 20 to 99 users at $21.99/mo per user and 100+ at $19.99/mo per user.
  • Flexible Pricing Plan: This plan has a base fee of $49.99/mo per account and includes the main core features (like auto-attendant, music on hold, voicemail and caller ID). Additional lines are $19.99/mo per line and additional users are $9.99/mo per extension. A line represents one concurrent voice call (in or out) so you need to get enough lines to cover your maximum number of concurrent calls at any one time. Extensions will be required for each unique user/phone.
  • SIP Trunking: Just as a note here, pricing starts at $20/mo per channel.
  • Additional fees: There will be additional tax and regulatory fees, as with any VoIP phone service. These are typically in the range of $5 per month. Number porting is provided but there is no information on cost. We recommend asking about any add on fees if you contact them for more information. International calling is charged per minute, with latest rates posted on their website.

Overall Thoughts

Broadconnect is a great choice for businesses that require high quality phone service and Internet service all in one. This provides a high quality and secure voice service as well as a single bill each month. It is a feature rich service and is reasonably priced for customers in both Canada and the USA, although you need to have at least 20+ users to really get down into the competitive price range. Large selections of IP phones are also available to buy directly from them. If you have a legacy PBX system and want to keep your up-front costs down you can consider their VoIP migration option.

Next, check out what users are saying about their experience with the service.

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