GoToAssist Editor’s Score: 92/100

Why GoToAssist Is Best for No-Download Live Support

GoToAssist allows you and your technicians to perform many support actions without asking the customer to download any software on their end. This makes troubleshooting a much easier experience for technicians and customers alike. Adding the ability to control up to 10,000 unattended machines per user account makes GoToAssist a very attractive option for midsize and large businesses that regularly deal with a lot of unattended machines and customers who require a high level of technical support.

Source: GoToAssist

Pros

• GoToAssist offers unattended remote access for up to 10,000 machines per account – far more than many of its competitors allow. 
• Technicians can perform many support tasks without requiring the customer to download any software on their device.
• Users can access unattended machines easily and quickly from a desktop or web-based console. 

Cons

• For smaller businesses that don’t need to access thousands of unattended machines, the cost per user account may be too high.
• Businesses have to pay for both unattended computer access and technical support functionality.
• Mobile functionality is not included without an add-on subscription and fee.

Usability 

We tested GoToAssist as a hypothetical small business with fewer than 99 employees. While many companies split remote support and unattended access into separate plans, GoToAssist offers both core options as well as a camera-sharing feature in one subscription through a single easy-to-use dashboard. Agents have the option to work from the desktop console or the web version, which are very similar in terms of home screen display and functionality.

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The biggest difference between these two options is the left-hand sidebar on the desktop console that’s capable of displaying multiple sessions at one time. This desktop console is most useful for technical managers who are assisting numerous agents throughout the day, or agents who are accessing and controlling multiple unattended devices at one time.

Source: GoToAssist

From the web-based console, starting a web session with a customer is as easy as clicking the sharing option and directing the customer to FastSupport.com with their unique support key. Customers are presented with the choice to share their entire screen, a single window, or a browser tab to offer a nice level of privacy – handing over full device control is not necessary.  All of your agents’ sessions are automatically recorded to play later or to download and share for training purposes. You can customize this area by reconfiguring your columns to include the most relevant information for your organization. 

Source: GoToAssist

Features

No-Download Remote Support 

Asking customers to download and install software on a device they may be struggling to use often complicates matters. GoToAssist makes things easier than other tools in the industry with a simple plugin that allows you or your support technician to see your customer’s screen when utilizing any modern web browser. If the support session requires remote access and control, there’s no need to install additional software or jump to a different platform to resolve the technical issue from a distance – your customers only need to click a link you’ve provided or enter a unique support key online.

Camera Share

The third option on the main console page is camera share, a powerful tool when communication becomes a roadblock in troubleshooting or resolving a customer’s issue. This feature lets you connect to the camera of a customer’s device to see what they’re seeing. Again, this helpful communications tool does not require a download for customers. You simply send an email invitation with an auto-generated security PIN; the customer only has to allow access to the camera on their device when prompted to initiate service instantly. The entire process takes a few seconds, making it a quicker and simpler option than other remote PC access solutions offer.

Mobile Functionality

For most businesses with technical support teams, the ability to support customers across their many devices seamlessly is a necessity – and GoToAssist offers on-the-go support for just about any mobile device. Technicians can engage screen-sharing capabilities on any iOS 11 iPhone or iPad, and Android 6.0 or higher users get remote view and control functionality as well. Features such as mobile chat enable simple and transparent communication during a support session to keep customers in the loop. You can connect to customers fast, with the option to text a link and support key to your customer’s mobile device so they can install the app quickly and get the support they need with ease.

Source: GoToAssist

Cost

GoToAssist has a single product offering that’s available with a monthly or annual subscription for one to 39 agents. Larger plans are available, but you’ll need to reach out to the sales team if you have 40 or more support agents. The standard monthly option is priced at $69 per agent, while the yearly plan brings it down to $55 per month. The optional mobile add-on costs $20 per month, bringing the annual total to $900 per agent. While GoToAssist appears to be on the more expensive side, midsize and large businesses that want remote access to hundreds or even thousands of machines will find great value with this product, compared to some competitors that limit the number of machines a user can access with one subscription. A seven-day free trial is available, requiring a verified email address but no payment information.

Setup

The installation of the desktop application was simple, and we found the web-based version to be equally reliable and possibly preferable for agents who don’t need to work with multiple customers or a group of unattended devices simultaneously. For customers, any required software is delivered by their support agent through text or email with very quick and easy installation. GoToAssist also offers a helpful tutorial to get new agents up to speed with all of the system’s basic functions swiftly.

Source: GoToAssist

Customer Service

As a GoToAssist customer, you can find help 24/7 through live chat, phone support or email. The online help desk resources center features answers to frequently asked questions, troubleshooting guides, and a searchable area that auto-populates available topics and articles based on your input. You can also register for complimentary 35-minute instructional webinars on topics such as agent training and administrative guidance training for new team members. While we found the response time to be very fast for the live chat, we did feel like the agent on the other end was sending automated responses instead of carefully reading our questions and replying with helpful answers. 

Drawbacks

While combining remote support and unattended access creates a necessary comprehensive tool for many customer service teams, that’s not the case for every business. If you’re only looking for one or the other, you’ll likely be disappointed to pay for both at the same time with GoToAssist. Similarly, while some companies may not feel the need to add mobile support for $20 per monthly user, we believe the vast majority of customer support teams will need to opt for the add-on that’s a standard feature with some other providers. 

To test customer service, we often pose a problem that’s slightly out of the box to see how the support team will handle it. Our customer service experience with GoToAssist as a trial member felt much more geared toward putting us into the sales pipeline than resolving our issue through live chat. In this instance, we didn’t get a satisfactory resolution in a timely manner.

Methodology

We spent one month with 10 of the most popular unattended access and remote support tools, testing their remote access and support capabilities on multiple Windows, Mac, iOS and Android devices. For each individual review, we spent at least two days attempting to find any shortcomings across devices and activities. Once our review sessions were complete, we scored each product on pricing, ease of use, features, integrations, and security – offering a relative score that takes the entire industry’s offerings into consideration. 

What Is Unattended Access and Remote Support?

Unattended access is a category of software that gives business owners, IT staff, and other workers the ability to take control of a second computer or mobile device from anywhere in the world with a strong internet connection. It was developed to allow technicians to troubleshoot computers from a distance, but it has become a very popular tool for hybrid-remote employees who need to access their office computers from home or vice versa. Most unattended access software providers also feature remote support as part of the same subscription plan or as an add-on that functions within the same user interface. 

FAQs

Are GoToAssist and LogMeIn the same?

Boston SaaS company LogMeIn acquired GoToAssist in 2017 through a merger acquisition with Citrix, taking ownership of the company’s entire family of GetGo products, which includes GoToAssist. LogMeIn boasts tens of millions of active users, with a strong focus on products that help the growing number of work-from-anywhere businesses and their teams.

Which mobile devices does GoToAssist support?

For the available mobile add-on that’s priced at $20 per month, you can view any Android device and any iOS device running iOS 11 or higher. The remote control feature works on any device running Android 6.0 or higher that supports the Android Accessibility API.

Bottom Line

We recommend GoToAssist for …

• Businesses looking for a lightweight screen-sharing and device access tool that doesn’t always require a customer to download the application for instant remote support.
• Large businesses that want to access thousands of unattended computers with one account.
• International businesses with teams and customers who speak English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, and/or Brazilian Portuguese.

We don’t recommend GoToAssist for …

• Small businesses that don’t need to access anywhere near 10,000 unattended computers per user account.
• Businesses that only want unattended access tools.