RCS Messaging
RCS - The next generation of SMS
Welcome to a new era of messaging. Rich Communication Services (RCS) goes beyond text, offering a dynamic, safe and engaging way to connect in the standard messaging application.
RCS Business Messaging: unlock benefits & maximise ROI
RCS delivers exceptional business value by revolutionising customer communication.
Create new revenue streams
Drive growth with interactive, rich messaging experiences that open doors to fresh opportunities.
Achieve higher conversions
Outperform traditional channels like email and SMS with engaging, personalised messages that convert more effectively.
Reduce costs with smart automation
Streamline messaging processes without requiring live support, saving time and resources while maintaining quality.
Verified company profile
Demonstrate your business's authenticity and build trust with your audience through business verification.
Enhanced rich multimedia
RCS stands out by delivering a rich and interactive communication experience – no downloads required.
Showcase your brand
Enhance brand presence with customised, branded messages for a professional and consistent image.
Engage like never before with RCS business messaging
Showcase your brand with RCS by incorporating your brand’s name, logo, and images directly into your messages. This personalisation creates a cohesive and professional look, helping your messages stand out in customers’ inboxes. With RCS, you can ensure a consistent and engaging experience, reinforcing your brand identity and making a lasting impression.
Enjoy a safer experience with RCS, which offers enhanced security compared to SMS. Features like verification badges and end-to-end encryption protect your messages from phishing attempts and fraud.
With rich features like carousels, suggested replies and action buttons, rich cards, image sharing, video content, and location-based services, RCS transforms your messaging into a dynamic, interactive experience. Easily guide customers through options, provide instant responses, and encourage actions directly within your messages.
RCS features
High-quality multimedia
Share high-resolution images, videos, emojis, audio, files and GIFs for impactful visual communication.
Rich cards & carousels
Explore carousels, suggested actions, and replies, rich cards, rich link previews, real-time location sharing and more to capture attention and increase engagement.
Longer text length
With RCS you can send messages with up to 2000 characters, compared to only 160 characters in an SMS.
Read receipts
See when messages are sent and read. Stay in the loop with typing indicators for real-time awareness.
Verified sender
Build trust with verified identities for secure, reliable business messaging. Only verified companies can use business RCS.
Branded messages
Take your messages to the next level - create a branded experience for your recipients with contact cards and branded messages.
Contact card
Share your contact info (phone, email, website) directly in chat, so customers can easily connect anytime.
Analytics
Track metrics like messages sent, delivered, read and engaged. Type of interaction and time-to-response.
End-to-end encryption
Safeguard sensitive messages with secure, encrypted messaging.
Different types of RCS Business Messaging (RBM)
- Basic
- Single
- Conversational
Elevate your brand presence – move beyond numeric sender IDs to a verified brand identity with a protected sender ID. Display your company logo, brand colours, description, and contact card, ensuring your customers know who you are. The basic version of RCS lets you create a custom company profile and verify your brand identity – no app download needed for end customers.
Basic RCS is available to businesses worldwide, including in the Nordics. The price model is the same as for SMS.
Any RCS message exceeding 160 UTF-8 characters or containing rich media is classified as a Single message. If a P2A message is received within 24 hours, the Single message transitions into an A2P conversation; otherwise, the session terminates. Single messages are always sent from an agent to a user.
Single RCS is currently available to businesses in select markets worldwide, including parts of Europe, and is expected to launch in the Nordics in 2025. The price model is generally 1.5 times the cost of a single SMS.
An A2P Conversation begins when a P2A message is received within 24 hours of an initial A2P Single Message. The initial message, along with any messages exchanged within the next 24 hours (starting from the first P2A message), form an A2P Conversation Session.
Conversational RCS is currently available to businesses in select markets worldwide, including parts of Europe, and is expected to launch in the Nordics in 2025. The price model is set within a 24-hour window and is generally 2 times the cost of a single SMS.
Customers want a 2-way dialogue
Create Meaningful Dialogues and Build Lasting Relationships
Answer customer inquiries, provide real-time support, and gather valuable feedback. Exceed expectations with personalized interactions that strengthen relationships and enhance the customer experience.
How to get started with RCS
Registration is free, and our team will support you every step of the way, from setup to sending your first message – and beyond.
Questions & answers about RCS
Select a Sender ID or bot agent name, typically using your company name, along with your brand name. Choose a non-transparent logo that looks great in both light and dark modes. Next, provide a banner image and a brief description for your profile. You can also add optional contact details, such as a phone number, email address, and URLs for your website, terms of use, and privacy policy.
Pricing is determined by each country and operator. The cost of a standard RCS message matches that of a single SMS in the respective country. A Single Rich RCS message is charged 1.5 times the standard rate, while a conversational RCS message within a 24-hour window is billed twice the standard rate.
RBM messages sent between users and agents are encrypted between RBM agents and Google servers and between Google servers and users’ devices. Partners can’t use their own encryption keys because Google needs to scan messages for malicious content to protect all users and businesses.
All senders must be registered and verified by the RCS service provider to ensure authentication. This prevents fraud and creates reliable communications. RCS is, therefore good for sectors that send sensitive information to their customers.
GDPR and other new legislation have set privacy restrictions on how you can communicate with customers and prospects. Mobile users must choose to allow messages from companies. Android customers who have already selected SMS messages from a company will automatically receive the upgraded RCS experience.
RCS and SMS have different threads. RCS messages will be identified by the Display Name used for creating the RBM Agent (which would refer to the name of the Brand and use case).
Select a Sender ID or bot agent name, typically using your company name, along with your brand name. Choose a non-transparent logo that looks great in both light and dark modes. Next, provide a banner image and a brief description for your profile. You can also add optional contact details, such as a phone number, email address, and URLs for your website, terms of use, and privacy policy.
Unlike SMS, there is no limit of 160 characters. Now you can send up to 2000 characters in one message.
Then the RCS message will be sent as an SMS.
RCS requires internet connection and if the phone is not connected and want to make a fallback to SMS, you set a time-out ie if the message has not been delivered within 60s, an SMS is sent.
The RBM Agent created for a particular Brand includes assets such as the Display name, logo, banner, website, Contact details, Terms of Service, and Privacy Policy that represent the Brand. End users will receive the RCS message in the chat inside the Google Messages App with the RBM Agent, where they will see these assets.
Status as of iOS 18.1: Full support available in Germany and Spain, with limited support from select operators in the USA, UK, Belgium, and France.
RCS availability across the world
RCS is growing in the market and is currently available in several countries, including South Africa, USA, France, India, the UK, Sweden and Brazil. RCS was introduced in the Nordics in 2023 and specifically in Sweden by operators Tre, Tele2, Telenor and Telia. Today, RCS is supported by mobile phones with Android or iOS operating systems (full support for iOS is expected in 2025 in Europe).
RBM not yet available in your country? Register your brand now to be ready to start messaging as soon as it launches!
Talk to one of our business messaging experts
Fill in the form, and we will get in touch as soon as possible or call us: +27 21 200 5955.