Basic RCS – Get started with the new messaging format for businesses

What is Basic RCS?

Basic RCS opens up new opportunities for businesses to create value through:

• Verified sender: By registering your company details through an RCS service provider, Google verifies you as the sender. The verification checkmark builds trust by ensuring your customers can see that the message comes from a secure and reliable source.
  
  
• Branded messages: With Basic RCS, businesses can include their logo, brand colours, and contact information in messages. This creates a recognition factor and gives a more professional impression to the recipient.
  
  
• Delivery and read receipts: Just like with popular messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, businesses can see when their Basic RCS messages have been delivered and read by the recipient. This provides valuable insights into communication effectiveness.
  
  
• Link previews: Unlike SMS, RCS offers a preview of the link sent in the message.

Use cases for Basic RCS

Businesses can use Basic RCS in the same contexts where they currently use SMS, such as:

• Booking confirmations and reminders: Send automatic reminders to customers about upcoming meetings or reservations. With read receipts, businesses can ensure that customers have received and read the reminders.
  
  
• Campaigns and offers: Send targeted campaigns with branded messages. Brand logos and longer texts can create more engaging campaigns that lead to higher conversion rates.
  
  
• Delivery status updates: Companies offering delivery services can send delivery notices via Basic RCS, and with verified senders, the customer does not have to worry about whether the message is legitimate.
  
  
• Important messages to employees: Basic RCS messages are also suitable for internal communication, where read receipts ensure that employees have received important information, such as changes to work schedules.

The future with full RCS support

Beyond Basic RCS, there are two more advanced versions of RCS whose functions will become available in the future:

Single Rich: Single Rich messages allow businesses to include multimedia such as images, carousels, and interactive buttons in their messages, with the ability to get detailed statistics on how recipients interact with your communications. This opens up more engaging and interactive communication, which can be effective for campaigns and customer support.

Conversational: Conversational RCS is the most advanced version, enabling real-time two-way communication between businesses and customers. It is similar to chat functions in apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, allowing companies to provide personal customer service, support, and advice directly in the conversation.

                     Basic                                               Single Rich                                        Conversational

Why you should start using basic RCS today

With Basic RCS, companies can create a better customer experience. It is a natural step forward in business communication as it combines the simplicity of SMS with more advanced features like verified senders and longer messages. Additionally, RCS is constantly evolving, and more features are becoming available over time, meaning that companies that implement it early can benefit from upcoming updates and functionalities. By starting with RCS early, you can already send simpler RCS messages focused on security and branding.

For businesses looking to stay ahead, it is crucial to start implementing Basic RCS today. By utilising RCS, you can improve your customer communication while preparing for future RCS functionalities. Whether it's booking reminders or delivery updates, Basic RCS is a practical and valuable channel suitable for all businesses. Additionally, getting started with Basic RCS is easy since you can use the same API that you already use for SMS. This means no new API installation is required, reducing technical complexity and making the transition smoother.