SMS has long been the workhorse of business messaging—but there’s a new show pony in town.
Rich Communication Services, or RCS messaging, offers a powerful upgrade that goes beyond plain text to transform business-to-customer communications.
In this guide, we’ll detail how RCS is different from OTT, SMS, and MMS, the advantages RCS can offer your business, and some tips to help you leverage its full potential for your business.
What is RCS messaging?
RCS, which stands for rich communication services, is a revolutionary protocol that upgrades traditional SMS and MMS text messages with a host of advanced features. These features include images, read receipts, suggested replies, group chats, and e-commerce integrations, making RCS messaging more engaging and informative.
Many of these features are already familiar to consumers who use chat tools like OTT services like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. The big difference is that RCS messaging builds these features directly into Android and iOS; it will inevitably replace SMS altogether.
Does RCS work on Android and Apple devices?
Most major carriers in the US offer RCS messaging on Android devices. However, Apple only recently announced that it will adopt RCS with the release of iOS 18 in the fall of 2024.
"We believe RCS Universal Profile will offer a better interoperability experience when compared to SMS or MMS. This will work alongside iMessage, which will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users,” said an Apple spokesperson.
Apple has started testing RCS messaging with iOS 18 developer beta 2, suggesting a wider release is imminent.
Where is RCS messaging used?
The use of RCS messaging is contingent on two factors: carrier support and device compatibility. Currently, RCS messages are only compatible with newer Android phones, such as the latest devices from Samsung and Google.
Carrier support is comparatively more common. Most major carriers in North America support RCS messaging, including AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint. The map below shows where RCS messaging is available and in use in more detail.
While RCS isn't universally available yet, it's being adopted by more and more carriers and becoming increasingly common on newer devices.
How does RCS messaging compare to MMS, SMS, and OTT?
RCS, MMS, SMS, OTT — these acronyms can quickly become confusing. SMS and MMS are legacy systems from which RCS has evolved. Let’s go through the key differences between different messaging protocols to understand why RCS messaging is so promising.
SMS (Short Message Service)
SMS messages are the most basic types of text messages. These texts can be up to 160 characters and text-only, meaning you can’t send images or video over SMS. SMS messages are compatible with virtually every mobile phone on the market and do not require an internet connection.
MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service)
MMS messages are an extension of SMS designed to send multimedia content, including images, video, audio, and text. MMS allows for more text than SMS, up to 1,600 characters. These messages are compatible with most mobile phones, but there are sometimes issues with formatting between different devices and carriers. MMS messages work over cellular networks but often benefit from an internet connection to transmit media content.
OTT (Over-the-Top Services)
OTT messages use your phone's internet data connection rather than your mobile carrier's traditional SMS/MMS network. Apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, and WeChat are all OTT messaging services. OTT messaging apps tend to offer more features than SMS, such as sending photos and videos, voice and video calls, group chats, and read receipts. These apps aren’t native to iOS or Android devices and must be downloaded by the user before OTT services can be accessed.
RCS (Rich Communication Services)
RCS messages are an upgrade to MMS. These texts support text, high-resolution images, videos, audio messages, file transfers, location sharing, and more interactive elements like group chats and read receipts. However, RCS requires both the sender and recipient to have RCS-enabled devices and carriers that support RCS.
RCS messaging offers the best set of features and security compared to legacy text messaging protocols. The only drawback is the lack of market penetration — something we expect will change with Apple’s new iOS launch.
The future of RCS messaging for your business
The potential of RCS messaging hasn’t been fully realized, but early analysis has forecasters excited about what RCS texting can do for businesses of all sizes. “New feature-rich messaging apps, such as those built on the RCS platform, offer businesses powerful new opportunities for successfully interacting with consumers,” wrote the experts at Harvard Business Review.
Brands such as Citi, UnoTV, Overstock, and Subway are early adopters of RCS. These companies provide case studies of how other businesses can make the most of RCS messaging. For example, Overstock uses RCS texting to send purchase, shipping, and delivery confirmations. Subway used RCS messages to send promotions with high-quality images; the campaign saw a 144% increase in its coupon redemption rate compared to the same promotion sent via SMS.
The analysts at Juniper forecast significant growth in RCS usage, expecting the user base to surpass 2 billion by 2028 — a prediction that seems well within reach given Apple’s planned release to its customers. Here’s what the mobile market could look like over the next few years.
Given that RCS is poised to make MMS and SMS campaigns obsolete, let’s dive into why RCS can make such a big difference for your business.
The advantages of RCS chat for your company and customers
The adoption and popularity of OTT apps signal how RCS will work for your company. Let’s break down in more detail how RCS messaging can strengthen your customer relationships.
Deliver a better customer experience
Like WhatsApp and other OTT messages, RCS is packed with features that improve the user experience. Here are a few media capabilities built into RCS chat that can upgrade the customer experience.
- Quality images, video messages, and GIFs
- Delivery and read receipts
- Video-calling capabilities
- Suggested replies
- Suggested actions
- Location sharing
- In-message payment options
- Sender verification
- QR codes
“With RCS, which has the richness of OTTs but is universal, consumers will get graphically branded messages from a verified sender, which may include suggested action buttons quick button replies, along with high-definition images and video,” wrote Harvard Business Review. “Survey respondents emphasize the importance of these messaging capabilities, with 81% saying that the ability to offer verified sender information is highly important.”
Boost trust with sender verification
Brands that use RCS texting can be verified by a Verification Authority—a specialized entity, Mobile Network Operator, Chatbot Platform provider, etc. Once verified, your brand’s logo will appear at the top of the conversation along with your brand name and status badge (such as a checkmark).
Verified sender information is among the most promising features of RCS messaging. By becoming a verified sender, your brand avoids being marked as spam and can build customer trust. Today, 70% of consumers have worried brand texts pose a data security risk; sender verification helps mitigate that anxiety.
Build strong customer communication
The many features available in RCS messaging enable brands to boost engagement and create a meaningful channel for two-way communication with customers. Interactive messaging lets customers take action directly, reducing admin for your brand while making it as easy as checking a text for customers to engage.
Imagine sending messages enriched with buttons that trigger specific actions. Customers can click a button to view product details, book an appointment, or initiate any relevant action – all within the same message thread. This ability saves customers time and frustration by eliminating the need to navigate through separate platforms.
Learn more from your data
RCS messages generate better data and analytics from which your brand can learn. UnoTV’s RCS pilot gave the brand useful information that can trigger smarter, more targeted future campaigns.
“With SMS, we don’t even know if the message was delivered to the user, but with RCS
we can see if it was delivered, if it was opened, and if it was interacted with,” said Violeta Rosales, UnoTV digital development lead. “It gives us a much better understanding of interactions.”
Leverage a more targeted UX
RCS's rich multimedia experience lets your brand leverage chat history, analytics, and other customer data to build rich customer profiles. These detailed profiles become the key to crafting highly targeted messages – whether for automated responses or marketing campaigns. Tailoring compelling content that resonates with individual customers becomes much easier with this protocol.
Use RCS messaging to grow your business
RCS messaging can supercharge your sales, marketing, and customer service. Here are a few ways to make the most of RCS’s advanced features to grow your business.
Send captivating promos and specials
RCS messages allow brands to create eye-catching promos with image carousels, media cards, and GIFs. Many brands are already using WhatsApp to do this. Showcase multiple products at once with a call-to-action that takes the viewer straight to the shopping page, streamlining checkout.
Early data suggests that media-rich promos significantly outperform traditional mobile campaigns. BodemerAuto, a car dealer, launched a Black Friday campaign using RCS to increase customer engagement. The campaign delivered a 17-fold clickthrough rate (CTR) improvement compared to a concurrent, text-only SMS campaign.
Manage appointments and reservations
Healthcare and hospitality companies can use RCS texting to manage appointments, send reminders, and sell event tickets. Live support, suggested actions, and AI chatbots can all be used in RCS texting to help customers manage their relationships with your business without tangling up customer service channels.
How does this work? A salon could prompt a customer to set up an appointment with a “schedule now” button. The client would schedule their appointment directly through the text conversation. Suggested actions could also include a “reschedule” autoresponse.
Automate account alerts
Citi has traditionally used SMS to ask customers to verify account information, receive alerts on their spending, and get notified immediately of suspicious transactions. With RCS messaging, Citi can do more.
“This RCS functionality allows customers to message Citi through the standard Android Messages app on their device and to access information such as their current balance and payment due date,” Wooters notes. “Our customers can also escalate their inquiry to a live agent, to address additional servicing needs.”
Not only can Citi customers get real-time account alerts, but they can also take action directly in the message.
Beat the competition with a great RCS strategy: 3 tips
Now is the time to start developing an RCS strategy. As this messaging protocol grows, brands that are prepared will have a competitive advantage over those that continue to rely on SMS or MMS.
Treat your RCS text campaigns like e-mail.
The features of RCS messaging allow you to be more sophisticated in your mobile marketing strategy. RCS messages can deliver powerful, specific CTAs, so customer segmentation is imperative. Set campaign goals, segment your contact list, and measure results the same way you would an email campaign.
Please note that we do not suggest writing RCS messages that are as long or detailed as your e-mail campaigns. RCS messages should be used to augment your other communications channels in a more targeted, impactful way.
Start developing content on OTT apps.
More brands are signing on to use this messaging protocol every day. But, in the meantime, develop an OTT strategy that can help hone in on what content works and doesn’t. Plivo’s WhatsApp Business API allows users to effortlessly deploy WhatsApp for customer engagement while keeping costs low.
WhatsApp for Business allows brands to send images, videos, and documents, making the messaging experience richer and more engaging. Plivo makes it easy to use the WhatsApp Business Platform to showcase a new product through a video, share a brochure as a PDF, or simply update customers on their latest transactions.
[Read more: Get Started with Plivo's WhatsApp API – Quick Onboarding Guide]
WhatsApp for Business gives you a way to test different content and see what resonates. Try different campaigns to learn best practices and understand how customers respond to these richer messages.
Utilize your customer data.
Finally, remember that RCS messaging is simply another channel in an omnichannel approach to the customer experience. Like any tool, it’s best utilized with customer data from across your company — sales, customer service, marketing, and operations. Integrate RCS messaging with your other systems and channels to get the best results.
Conclusion
RCS messaging is poised for explosive growth. Preparing your business for this messaging protocol now is a smart way to build customer loyalty and trust in the future. Learn more about RCS and how Plivo can help your business engage customers by getting in touch with sales.
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