RCS features for your business: A guide

As digital communication evolves, businesses face a growing challenge: standing out in a crowded messaging landscape. Rich Communication Services (RCS) offers a powerful way to cut through the noise, providing interactive features that go far beyond traditional SMS. With capabilities like high-quality media sharing, chatbots, and verified sender profiles, RCS gives businesses a competitive edge in customer engagement.

This guide breaks down the top RCS features and reveals how they can drive meaningful interactions and lasting connections with your audience.

What is RCS?

RCS is an upgrade to SMS that allows for multimedia messaging, chat functionalities, and advanced features typically found in messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. As part of the GSMA's Universal Profile, RCS aims to standardize the experience across different devices and carriers, making it easier for businesses to implement rich communication solutions.

RCS’s benefits go far beyond just upgrading your messaging. It opens up new possibilities for engaging with customers in more meaningful ways.

Why your business should consider RCS

RCS offers multiple advantages over traditional SMS, including:

• Enhanced user engagement: RCS supports high-resolution images, videos, and audio, enabling businesses to deliver more engaging content.
• Interactive messaging: Features like carousels, suggested replies, and actions allow for two-way communication, making the customer experience more dynamic.
• Increased customer satisfaction: The richer experience, combined with read receipts and typing indicators, makes communication more transparent and satisfying for customers.
• Brand trust and visibility: With verified sender profiles, businesses can reduce spam risks and improve brand recognition.

Understanding the value of RCS is just the beginning. Next, let’s explore the standout features that can take your business's messaging strategy to the next level.

Key RCS features for businesses

Understanding the features of RCS can help your business decide how to incorporate it into your messaging strategy effectively.

Verified sender

RCS allows businesses to authenticate their messaging identities through verified sender profiles. This feature means your business name, logo, and brand colors appear prominently in messages, enhancing brand visibility and building trust with customers. Verified senders help reduce phishing and spam, ensuring customers recognize your brand as legitimate.

Use case: Financial institutions can use verified sender profiles to communicate securely with customers, reducing the risk of fraud when sending transactional alerts.

Industries impacted: Finance, retail, healthcare, government services

Multimedia messaging

Unlike SMS, RCS supports sending high-resolution images, videos, and audio clips directly within the message. This capability allows businesses to create visually appealing and interactive messages, enhancing the customer experience.

Use case: eCommerce businesses can use RCS to send product images or videos, providing customers with a richer preview of items.

Industries impacted: Retail, travel, real estate, entertainment

Suggested actions and replies

RCS includes the ability to provide suggested actions and replies, streamlining customer interactions. Suggested actions can prompt users to visit a website, open a map, or call a phone number, while suggested replies offer one-tap responses to keep conversations flowing.

Use case: Travel companies can send booking confirmations with suggested actions like "View itinerary" or "Call support" directly in the message, providing immediate options for the recipient.

Industries impacted: Travel, customer support, insurance, logistics

Chatbot integration

RCS supports chatbot functionalities, allowing businesses to automate customer service interactions. Chatbots can handle common inquiries, provide updates, and offer personalized responses based on user inputs. This integration improves response times and reduces the workload on human agents.

Use case: Customer service departments can use RCS chatbots for quick troubleshooting, appointment scheduling, or order tracking.

Industries impacted: Healthcare, telecommunications, eCommerce, utilities

Analytics and insights

With RCS, businesses gain access to analytics such as message open rates, read receipts, and user engagement metrics. This data provides valuable insights into customer behaviors, helping businesses optimize their messaging strategies.

Use case: Marketing teams can analyze RCS metrics to refine campaigns, personalize content, and improve overall effectiveness.

Industries impacted: Marketing, retail, finance, automotive

Location sharing

RCS supports location sharing, allowing customers to send their real-time location or businesses to suggest nearby locations. This feature can be particularly useful for businesses that provide in-person services or need to coordinate logistics.

Use case: Delivery services can use RCS to let customers share their location for accurate drop-off, or retailers can direct customers to the nearest store.

Industries impacted: Delivery, retail, hospitality, transportation

Payments

Some RCS implementations support in-message payments, allowing customers to complete transactions without leaving the messaging app. This feature simplifies the purchasing process, reducing friction and boosting conversion rates.

Use case: Event organizers can send RCS messages with ticket purchase options, enabling recipients to buy tickets directly from the message.

Industries impacted: eCommerce, travel, events, financial services

With an understanding of RCS’s key features, the next step is understanding how to put them into practice.

Implementing RCS in your business

Implementing RCS can significantly enhance your communication strategy, but careful planning is essential to maximize its benefits. Here are steps to help your business get started:

• Assess compatibility: Ensure your target audience's devices and carriers support RCS. While adoption is growing, coverage varies by region and carrier.
• Choose an RCS provider: Work with a reliable RCS service provider that can help you navigate integration and compliance requirements.
• Leverage verified sender profiles: Authenticate your business profile to improve brand trust and engagement.
• Integrate chatbots and AI: Automate common customer service tasks to improve response times and support efficiency.
• Utilize rich media: Enhance your messages with images, videos, and audio to create engaging customer experiences.
• Analyze campaign performance: Use RCS analytics to track customer engagement and refine your messaging strategy.

With a solid plan for implementing RCS, it's helpful to consider where this technology is headed.

Future of RCS

RCS is poised to become the standard for business messaging on Android devices. In the summer of 2024, Apple also announced that it will support RCS messaging with certain carriers. As adoption increases, businesses can expect more features and improved functionality, making it a key tool for enhancing customer engagement. The integration of AI and chatbots will likely grow, providing even more personalized and automated customer experiences.

Use RCS’s advanced features to their full potential

RCS gives businesses a powerful way to elevate their messaging strategies, moving beyond basic text to deliver richer, more interactive experiences. By leveraging RCS features like verified sender profiles, multimedia support, and chatbot integration, companies can engage customers in more meaningful ways and drive better outcomes. Implementing RCS may require careful planning, but the benefits of enhanced engagement and seamless communication make it well worth the effort.

Businesses that adopt RCS early can stay ahead of competitors, delivering a superior customer experience that adapts to changing expectations. Now is the time to explore how RCS can fit into your overall communication strategy and set your business apart.

With developer-friendly APIs, support in over 140 countries, and a secure network to ensure reliable service, Telnyx is set to help your business leverage RCS to its full potential. Our 24/7 expert support and competitive pricing simplifies the adoption of RCS for businesses of any size.