For years, businesses have relied on SMS to reach their customers. While effective, SMS has its limitations—plain text, character restrictions, and little room for interactivity. These constraints can lead to messages that are easily overlooked.
Now, imagine your business messages breaking free from these confines. Picture them captivating users with vibrant multimedia content, interactive buttons, and enriched branded experiences.
That’s the power of RCS (Rich Communication Services), the next-gen SMS upgrade that transforms traditional messaging into something truly engaging. We are excited to introduce RCS as a channel on the WebEngage dashboard, to help you transform your communications into immersive and engaging experiences.
Anatomy of an RCS Message
RCS empowers brands to deliver visually appealing, branded messages that foster genuine connections. Here’s what makes RCS stand out:
- Rich Media Content: Leverage high-resolution images, videos, and carousels to capture attention and convey messages effectively.
- Action Buttons: Allow customers to interact directly with your messages by triggering actions like making a call or visiting your website.
- Suggested Replies: Simplify interactions with quick-tap responses, making it easier for customers to engage with your brand.
What can RCS do for you?
Boost Customer Engagement
RCS messaging elevates marketing campaigns by delivering significantly higher engagement rates and readability, compared to traditional SMS and other messaging apps. Here are some key stats highlighting its effectiveness:
- High engagement rates: 90% of rich media messages are opened within 15 minutes, and customers engage with RCS content for up to 45 seconds.
- Increased readability: People are 35 times more likely to read an RCS message than an email.
- Great conversion rates: Business campaigns using RCS boast an 80% conversion rate, indicating its effectiveness in driving engagement and sales.
- Higher than average click-through-rates: RCS marketing campaigns see between three times and seven times higher click-through rates than Rich SMS.
Build Trust with Branded Messages
Trust is crucial — 87% of customers actively avoid buying from brands they don’t trust. Moreover, 71% of customers say they’ll stop buying from a brand altogether if their trust is broken.
Custom branding via elements like logos and colors can significantly increase brand recognition by as much as 80%.
With RCS, you can send messages from a branded, rich sender profile with your logo and brand colors. This consistent branding at every customer touchpoint enhances recognition and loyalty. Plus, the mandatory business verification process further boosts customer trust by preventing impersonation.
Broaden Your Reach
RCS offers unparalleled reach, operating seamlessly across networks without requiring users to download a new app. Currently available on Android devices, RCS will soon be accessible on Apple devices. With Android’s 1.4 billion active RCS users in India, the potential for widespread adoption is immense.
Every modern Android phone comes with Google Messages as the default texting app, which includes RCS. This makes it easy for businesses to connect with their audience without additional barriers.
RCS vs. SMS and WhatsApp
While SMS has been a reliable channel for business communications, RCS elevates the experience with enhanced features:
- Rich Media: Unlike SMS, RCS supports images, videos, and interactive buttons.
- Character Limit: Send detailed messages without the 160-character constraint.
- Branded Sender Profiles: Customize your messages with your brand logo and colors.
- Security: Business verification reduces the risk of spam and phishing.
- Analytics: Access delivery and read receipts for better engagement insights.
- Cost efficiency: Replace multipart SMS messages with a single, richer RCS message.
Here is how RCS stacks up against WhatsApp:
- Native Integration: RCS works natively on Android— no additional app downloads needed.
- Cost Efficiency: With WhatsApp’s recent 8% price hike announcement, RCS remains a cost-effective alternative.
Use Cases for RCS
Choosing a template
With RCS as your channel of choice, you can easily set up one-time, triggered, or recurring campaigns. What’s more? With WebEngage, you can seamlessly integrate RCS into your Journeys and Relays!
Wrapping Up
Rich Communication Services (RCS) represents a significant advancement in mobile business messaging. With RCS, you can enhance customer trust and engagement by offering branded, interactive, and media-rich messages. Plus, with Apple’s upcoming support for RCS in 2024, this powerful messaging service will soon reach an even broader audience, including iPhone users.
In contrast, as WhatsApp increases its pricing by 8%, enterprises may seek more cost-effective and feature-rich alternatives like RCS.
At WebEngage, we’re excited to offer this cutting-edge channel to our clients. Explore the power of RCS today and transform your customer interactions into immersive experiences!
To start your RCS journey with WebEngage, visit our Knowledge Base or contact your Account Manager for personalized assistance.
Harshita Lal
