Adopt RCS To Boost Your CX In The Year 2022

RCS (Rich Communication Services) has been “just around the corner” for almost a decade. But with more than 700 million RCS users globally, brands are finally paying attention.

RCS lets brands engage customers on their native messaging app, sharing high-resolution photos, videos, location, group chats, read receipts, suggested replies, and more.

OTT apps like WeChat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Line, and Viber are popular, but reaching customers across all of them means maintaining a presence on each one. RCS is simpler: customers get a rich messaging experience without downloading anything new. They get direct access to a brand from inside their messaging app, whether that’s chatting with a bot, a live agent, buying clothes, booking a flight, or reserving a table.

A few numbers show the scale of this shift. Markets and Markets estimates the global RCS market will grow from $5.2 billion in 2020 to $11.7 billion by 2025, a 17.6% CAGR, driven by rising internet access and operator campaigns in developing markets. Juniper Research separately predicts a 2500% jump in RCS Business Messaging traffic by 2025, to 415 billion messages, up from 160 million in 2020.

Subway saw more than double the conversions on RCS compared to their best SMS campaign (GSMA), and other brands are seeing similar results across marketing, support, and commerce. It’s a good time for more brands to put RCS to work.

Reasons to Add RCS to Your CX Strategy

RCS isn’t just a messaging upgrade, it’s becoming table stakes for brands that want to stay reachable. Here’s what’s driving that shift.

Part of the 5G Standard

RCS is the next generation of SMS. It runs alongside SMS on 3G and 4G, and replaces it entirely on 5G networks, where its use is mandated by the 5G standard.

RCS pairs naturally with 5G’s low latency and bandwidth. As more users experience RCS, brands need to meet the rich messaging experience they’re starting to expect.

Google’s Worldwide RCS Rollout

Google has worked with carriers and device makers worldwide to bring chat-like messaging to users’ native apps. As phones get more advanced and OTT apps multiply, delivering that experience natively matters more than ever.

Google completed its global RCS rollout last year. Anyone using Google Messages as their default app can now receive RCS messages, whether from their carrier or directly from Google. That’s good news for brands, since it solves a real reach problem.

Major Device Makers and Carriers Support It

RCS is backed by GSMA, MEF, Google, and Samsung, plus major device makers including Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, and OnePlus. Carrier support spans AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Orange, Airtel, Telefonica, British Telecom, Claro, Rogers, NTT Docomo, SoftBank, SK Telecom, China Mobile, Jio, VI, and Globe.

RCS has now launched with over 90 carriers, and the wider ecosystem is ready to support it globally.

Rich and Secure Messaging

An RCS business message differs from SMS by adding branding, security, trust, and a rich conversational experience similar to WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and Viber, all inside the phone’s native messaging app.

It also offers end-to-end encryption, so no one, not even Google or third parties, can read the messages exchanged between a brand and its customers.

Some of its features include:

• Branding
• Verification and trust marks
• Delivery and read receipts
• Suggested actions and replies
• Rich cards and carousels

Enables Two-Way Messaging

Conversational messaging lets brands and customers have real two-way conversations. Businesses increasingly use it to serve customers in real time with automated chatbots, rich media, payment options, and suggested actions for a more contextual, interactive experience.

When a bot can’t understand a query that falls outside its predefined FAQs, control shifts smoothly to a live agent. RCS makes that handoff possible, moving from bot to human exactly when a personal touch matters most.

Reach iPhone Users Too, with Universal RCS

RCS has traditionally been limited to RCS-enabled Android devices, which caps its reach. Universal RCS solves this by extending the experience to non-RCS devices, including iPhones.

It works by using Gupshup IP (GIP) Messaging to send a fallback SMS with a link to an RCS-like experience in the mobile browser. That means brands can deliver rich messaging to every customer, on every device, opening up more revenue opportunities from RCS across the board.

Ready to Get Started?

At this point, investing in RCS isn’t just beneficial. It’s close to a necessity for staying competitive.

If you want to explore what RCS can do for your brand, talk to our experts.