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Mobile Messaging Solutions: How RCS is Transforming CX

While SMS has been a primary communication channel leveraged by businesses for two decades, new mobile messaging solutions are on the horizon as technology has continued to evolve. 

Rich Communication Services (RCS) is an innovative messaging platform that enhances customer experiences with visually rich features and interactive functionalities. Businesses use RCS to build strong customer relationships through branded two-way communication.

Many industries, like airlines and retailers, are already leveraging RCS and seeing a positive impact on their customer experience.  

So, how do you know if RCS might be your organization’s ideal mobile messaging solution?

We asked our partners at Infobip to help us explain RCS, its primary benefits for users, and more. 

 

What is RCS?  

Sometimes referred to as SMS 2.0, RCS is an IP-based mobile messaging solution and is available to mobile phone users through their network providers. It can be used for both personal messages between people and messages sent from businesses to people.

RCS combines SMS’s broad reach with advanced features of chat apps like WhatsApp, Viber, and Facebook Messenger, making it a more interactive and engaging way to communicate. 

RCS builds on what people and businesses already like about SMS—its broad reach, reliability, simplicity, and security—making it even better.

With RCS, messages are more interactive, can be longer, and include features like chatbots, branding, and sender verification, which is essential in today’s world of consumer distrust. RCS allows businesses to send messages to anyone with a mobile phone number, offering a more advanced and trustworthy communication method. 

It’s important to note that RCS isn’t a new communication channel but rather the evolution of an existing one. Due to this, the progression to it is seamless. RCS ability is native on most phones and doesn’t require downloading an app. In early 2024, it was reported that Apple would adopt the RCS standard on iOS later this year.  As of September 16, 2024, you can download and install iOS 18 and enable RCS messaging on Apple devices. 

RCS business messaging—also referred to as RCS-AP2 communication—allows companies to send interactive, branded messages to customers. It makes communication more engaging by enabling businesses to include images, videos, buttons for quick replies, barcodes, and links to click. This helps brands connect with people more personally and interactively, making two-way communication more straightforward and effective. 

Some industries have already succeeded in using RCS as their mobile messaging solution to engage with customers.  For example, fast food retailer Subway has leveraged RCS to allow customers to place and customize their sandwich orders, drastically increasing conversion rates.

“With Rich Communication Services (RCS), businesses can transform customer interactions into engaging, branded experiences that build trust and drive loyalty.”

Functionality of RCS Business Messaging 

SMS and other mobile messaging solutions offer several benefits, but RCS business messaging can take things to the next level. There are some unique features that businesses are leveraging to enhance their customer experience. These include:

#1. Rich Features 

Rich features in RCS make it easy for companies to create experiences similar to apps within regular mobile messaging, providing opportunities to provide memorable experiences and forge a stronger emotional connection via: 

  • Media: Uploading photographs, video and audio files, rich cards, or carousels.
    Improved Location Functionality: Location sharing, view map, etc.
  • Configurable Buttons: Embed clickable, customized buttons to make it easy for your customers to respond.
  • Open URL Button: Opens the link in a web browser or inside an app.
  • Calendar Events: Uses pre-specified details to populate a message template.
  • Longer Messages: Not limited to 160 characters. RCS messages have a 250,000 limit.

#2. Enhanced Security  

According to the Universal Profile standard, the RCS service provider must register and verify all senders, ensuring secure, trustworthy communication and preventing fraud, giving brands and customers peace of mind. 

RCS is a good option for industries that send many documents to customers, like legal firms, banks, and travel companies. 

#3. Increased Opportunities for Branding 

With RCS, you can add your company name, logo, and colors to your messages, matching your other marketing. This makes your messages more visually appealing and helps increase your brand recognition, assisting customers in recognizing and trusting your organization when they see their favorite brands on the screen. 

#4. Real-Time Analytics 

With RCS, you collect extensive information about customer behavior, allowing you to tailor and target your marketing campaigns better. RCS technology gives you real-time data, such as reports on whether your messages were delivered or seen and on-screen event tracking. This helps you understand how customers interact with your messages and which ones work. Over time, this can improve conversion results and make future messages more effective. 

#5. Chatbot Feature 

Customer experience is a top priority, and leveraging mobile messaging solutions like RCS can increase customer loyalty. RCS-enabled chatbots use conversation automation to provide customers with information in a timely and relevant manner while also digitizing repetitive communication patterns.

Enabling your customers to talk to your organization anytime and anywhere can resolve complaints and questions quickly. By including a Click2Call button, customers also have the option to speak to a live agent if their inquiries are more complex.  

How To Leverage RCS with Your Customers  

When reviewing RCS’ functionality with Infobip, they shared multiple ways that organizations can use it. 

Notifications

  • Purchase confirmations
  • Delivery updates and notifications
  • Reminders for contract expiration
  • Changes to service terms and conditions

Engagement

  • New product offers
  • Sales or discounts
  • Loyalty offers
  • Product or service ratings and reviews

Security

  • Password resets
  • One-time PINS for authentication
  • Account notifications for suspicious activity

Support

  • Automated replies to customer inquiries
  • Real-time or interactive conversations with agents about services or products

RCS: The Future of Mobile Messaging Solutions 

As businesses continue to evolve their communication strategies and look for new mobile messaging solutions, RCS stands out as a powerful tool for enhancing customer engagement.  

From notifications and updates to interactive conversations and chatbots, RCS provides a seamless, app-like experience within native messaging, making it an ideal solution for industries looking to improve customer interactions.  

With the adoption of RCS, the future of mobile messaging solutions is poised to become even more engaging and dynamic, opening new possibilities for customer interaction and engagement. 

Interested in learning more about how you can integrate RCS as part of your CX Strategy?

BridgepointeCX’s strategy, implementation and business process outsourcing services enable you to drive mission-critical business outcomes like higher customer satisfaction, and greater operational efficiency. 

With decades of experience as CX leaders at some of the biggest brands in the world, we understand that you need real-world solutions that balance digital transformation with contact center performance.