RCS business messaging is helping brands deliver engaging experiences to customers within their native text message app. With the rich, interactive features you’d expect from an instant messaging app, RCS can drive awareness, engagement and conversions while offering much more creative opportunities and flexibility than SMS or MMS.
Getting started with RCS for Business involves several steps that might seem complex on the surface but are actually straightforward once you’ve partnered with a messaging provider.
In this guide, we explain what’s involved, from defining your use case and creating an RCS agent, to carrier or Google approval and sending your first RCS campaign. You’ll also get RCS campaign optimisation tips and answers to FAQs. First though, let’s explore the key differences between RCS and traditional text messaging.
How is RCS different from SMS and MMS?
RCS was designed as an upgrade to traditional SMS and MMS - decades-old messaging protocols with certain technical and UX limitations. SMS, for instance, only allows the exchange of text-based messages of up to 160 characters. And MMS allows the sharing of low-quality images, videos, and GIFs, typically up to 1 MB (and slightly longer text messages). Both SMS and MMS are built into the native messaging app on mobile phones.
RCS looks and feels like an instant messaging app, supporting features such as high-quality media sharing, read receipts, typing indicators, and suggested replies. RCS messages received from a business come with a verified sender profile and can include ‘rich cards’ (mini interactive content blocks inside a message) and ‘carousels’ (a series of scrollable rich cards). RCS is also built into the default text messaging app, offering users a rich, interactive messaging experience without them needing to download a third-party app.
Before RCS for Business became available, it was, and still is, possible to use SMS and MMS for business messaging. All three are used today as RCS isn’t available everywhere.
Now that we understand how RCS is different from SMS and MMS, let’s dive into getting started with RCS for Business.
How to get started with RCS for Business
Below is an overview of the process for setting up RCS business messaging. Some of these key steps can be done in parallel, i.e. defining your use case, choosing a messaging provider and setting up your RCS Agent. Time-wise, it can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks to get everything ready for your first campaign.
1. Defining your RCS for Business use case
One of the first steps is to decide whether your RCS messages are transactional, promotional, conversational or mixed. The use case must be determined up front, as it’s central to the setup and approval process and determines how messages are billed. For example, conversational (two-way) messages are billed differently from one-way alerts, such as a flash sale offer that doesn’t require a response. The use case also directly impacts compliance rules - promotional (and sometimes mixed-use) messages require marketing consent, whereas transactional messages don’t.
Then there’s the technical setup, which varies according to use case. Transactional messages may require only a relatively simple API, but promotional campaigns may need to integrate with marketing systems such as a CRM. You might also need a chatbot and automation workflows for customer service conversational messages.
Your use case helps you design the right messaging experience and should also align with your business goals. Without this, you won’t be able to measure success, optimise campaign performance, or demonstrate ROI. Put simply, your use case answers why you’re using RCS in the first place — for example, to increase sales conversions or reduce missed appointments.
2. Finding a reputable RCS business messaging provider
You’ll need to choose a messaging partner for RCS for Business. It’s not possible to connect to RCS networks and carriers yourself, so your messaging provider will act as an intermediary between your business systems and the RCS infrastructure. They will provide the messaging API, manage the technical carrier connections and offer expertise to help your campaigns succeed. They’ll also help you set up an RCS Agent - your digital identity in RCS messaging.
3. Creating an RCS for Business Agent
An RCS Agent is your verified sender profile, which is displayed as a contact on customers’ phones. It contains your logo, brand colours, business contact details and a verified badge. For customers receiving messages, the verified profile means that your business is recognisable and can be deemed trustworthy.
The use case that you’ve determined is very closely linked to the RCS Agent. This is because the Agent is created and approved based on what you intend to use it for, whether that’s marketing, customer support or transactional alerts. If the Agent is set up for a transactional use case, you can’t then use it to send marketing alerts later - you’d need to get the Agent re-approved, which is why defining the use case properly is crucial.
Once your RCS Agent is set up, it needs to be submitted to Google and network carriers for verification and approval. This is something that your messaging provider manages and facilitates on your behalf.
4. RCS for Business verification, approval and compliance
In addition to gathering business information and brand assets for your RCS Agent and documenting the use case, you'll need to provide compliance information for verification and approval. This includes your company’s privacy policy and details of your opt-in and opt-out marketing consent collection process if you're sending promotional RCS messages. You’ll also need to provide examples of the RCS messages you want to send, and these must align with your use case.
Your RCS Agent must be fully built and tested before it can be submitted for review. Your messaging provider will then submit the Agent to Google (via its RCS ecosystem) or to the individual mobile network carrier (sometimes both). Your brand identity is then verified, and the RCS Agent details, use case and compliance obligations are checked.
Sometimes feedback or revisions are required; for example, you might need to clarify the use case or tweak the sample messages or marketing consent flow. In which case, your messaging provider will need to resubmit the Agent for approval.
When your RCS Agent is fully vetted, and you’ve received carrier or Google approval, you can start sending RCS campaigns to your audience.
Related: Full details on what’s involved in setting up and getting an RCS Agent approved can be found in our article, How Does RCS for Business Work.
5. Sending your first RCS for Business campaign
Before you can send your first RCS for Business campaign, you'll need to upload your contact list into your chosen messaging platform (ensuring all the necessary consents have already been captured if you're sending marketing messages).
Next, you'll build your message. You could include a high-quality image or a short video and write a compelling description that outlines what you want the audience to know. You can add up to three tap-to-respond action buttons, for example, ‘Browse website’, Call now’ or ‘Learn more’.
Your messaging provider will likely advise that you set up SMS as a fallback option in case some of your audience don't have RCS enabled on their mobile phones. If an RCS message falls back to SMS, the written message will appear as plain text, and any images and action buttons will be replaced with a single URL.
It's vital to run a live test of your RCS campaign before publishing. You should test your campaign on both Android and iOS devices, and also run a test with RCS disabled to check that the SMS fallback option displays correctly. Once you’re happy, you can send or schedule your message according to the optimal times for your audience.
Top tips for creating engaging RCS business messages
If you’re able to access the full suite of RCS for Business features, there are several ways to get the most out of your campaigns (some may not be supported across all carriers and messaging providers). Here are three tips to set you on the path to success.
Use high-impact carousels
Carousels are highly visual, interactive and attention-grabbing, allowing you to show up to ten products, services or customer choices (e.g. delivery slots or appointment times) in a single message. Carousels turn a message into more of a browsing experience, increasing engagement through their swipable format and ‘tap to act’ buttons. Giving customers plenty of choice and removing friction can lead to more conversions. Carousels are also ideal for storytelling and tutorials too. For best visual results, keep all the images the same size.
Consider automated chatbots
A well-structured chatbot can help create conversational journeys with customers. It provides an instant response after the customer clicks a button and helps them easily take a desired action, whether that's browsing a product, booking an appointment or tracking a delivery. Chatbots can help deliver scalable customer service by handling multiple users at once and guiding them towards a purchase or query resolution at any hour of the day or night. Finally, integrating a chatbot into your RCS campaign will keep customers in their text messaging app, preventing drop-offs from channel switching.
Pay special attention to the first line and visual element
There are two key elements of an RCS message that can make or break the success of your campaign. The first is the opening line of text because it’s the only part of the message that’s visible on the customer's mobile phone when their screen is locked, and the notification banner pops up. If the first line is weak or doesn't clearly convey the message's value, the customer may swipe the notification away and never even open it. The second crucial element is the rich card or hero image you're using in the message. Visuals are processed extremely quickly by the brain. Get the first image right, and you could see a boost in conversions, especially when coupled with a convincing CTA button.
RCS for Business analytics
After your RCS campaign has run its course, you’ll be able to see several analytics in your messaging provider’s dashboard. Typically, this includes the number of messages sent and delivered, how many were opened and read, plus tracking stats for button clicks and other interactive elements. If your campaign includes quick replies, you can also track which responses customers choose and see how many RCS messages fell back to SMS.
RCS for Business FAQs
If you’re considering RCS for Business, you may still have a few practical questions. Below, we’ve answered some of the most common FAQs, covering what customers see, how they can interact with messages, and how RCS business pricing works.
1. What does a verified sender profile look like for RCS?
An RCS verified sender profile includes the company logo, a banner image, branding colours, the company name, a brief description and a full set of contact details - a phone number, web address and email address. You can see an example in our RCS messaging visual walkthrough.
2. Can customers reply to RCS messages?
Customers can reply to RCS messages whenever the use case supports two-way messaging. This includes quick replies (preset answers), chatbot interactions and free-text messages, e.g. to ask a question or request help. While customers can send free-text messages, they will only be received if the business has configured its messaging solution to receive messages. (For one-time passwords (OTPs), the back end usually isn’t configured to process replies.) Customers can also choose to reply to a message after interacting with CTAs.
3. How does RCS for Business pricing work?
RCS for Business pricing works depending on whether the campaign is conversational or non-conversational. Conversational messages are ideal for support situations and guiding customers through a journey from browsing a product to completing a purchase. In this case, RCS is billed per conversation when either the customer or business replies to a message from the other within 24 hours. Non-conversational messages are one-way and don't require a reply (like 2FA PIN code alerts). These are billed per message. Learn more about the cost of RCS.
Getting started with RCS for Business: key takeaways
RCS is a significant enhancement over traditional SMS, helping businesses create richer, more engaging customer conversations. It enables interactive experiences that guide customers to take action or engage without leaving their native messaging app.
While getting started with RCS for Business involves a somewhat lengthy set-up process, it is manageable with the help of a trusted messaging partner. By getting really clear on the use case and compliance aspects, designing carefully crafted, relevant message journeys, and utilising the available analytics, RCS could take your messaging strategy to new heights.
Of course, SMS still has a vital role to play in an RCS strategy - both as a fallback option and as a strategy in its own right. Some messages are best sent as simple SMS, such as one-time passwords (OTPs), where there’s no need to add visuals or CTAs for optimal engagement. Ultimately, RCS isn’t about replacing SMS, but complementing it. Used together, they allow businesses to match the message to the purpose - using SMS for fast, reliable delivery and RCS for richer, more engaging experiences when appropriate.
