Around the clock, thousands of messages compete for our attention in a constant digital noise that makes it increasingly difficult to penetrate. No wonder companies are looking for new ways to reach out and become more relevant in their customer communications. For more than 20 years, email and SMS have been the standard for direct communication, until now. A new challenger has entered the scene: RCS (Rich Communication Services) – also known as SMS 2.0.
"A one-stop shop"
With RCS messaging, businesses can take customer dialog to the next level. Think images, videos, audio clips, links, booking buttons, interactive response options, product carousels, QR and barcodes, map integrations and smart chatbots, all in one message, without the user having to leave the messaging app.
It opens up a lot of exciting possibilities and the whole famous customer journey – from marketing, to buying, to customer service – can be managed in one messaging app. RCS messaging becomes a complete service channel, a one-stop-shop that simplifies things for everyone.
For example, you can book a hotel, pay, check in and get a digital map to the hotel straight into the messaging app. At the same time, you can also chat with the hotel, see pictures of the restaurant menu and order a late dinner to your hotel room.
Vinotek's success: 7 out of 10 customers engaged with the campaign
One of the companies that tested the RCS channel early on in Sweden is Vinoteket, one of the country’s leading online wine shops. By analyzing their customers’ past behaviors, they created personalized communications based on accuracy and relevance.
In the latest RCS campaign sent by Vinoteket via Rule, Vinoteket’s customers who had previously purchased a certain wine variety received an RCS message that a new vintage was now available. The mailing also had interactive elements such as a nice picture of the bottle, clear cta buttons for purchase and also recipe suggestions on what food to match the wine. The mailing received an opening rate of 69%. This means that 7 out of 10 customers opened and interacted with the content – a figure that is difficult to match in other digital channels.
“It’s clear that customers appreciate more dynamic, visually appealing and personalized communications. With RCS, we can not only reach out with our message, but also create a more engaging experience directly on mobile.”
– Andrea Hyttnäs, CMO at Vinoteket
RCS - A new standard on the way?
The technology is still in an expansion phase, and we are waiting for the long-awaited support of iOS 18 in the iPhone. But those companies that have already started using RCS are seeing clear results.
For many, it is no longer a question whether they will start using RCS, but when to. The potential is enormous, and there are many indications that RCS could become the new standard for mobile business communication.
One figure that stands out is that 9 out of 10 RCS messages are opened within 15 minutes, and people interact with the content for up to 45 seconds.
The combination of high open rates, visually appealing content and seamless interactions is hard to beat and RCS technology will change the way businesses meet their customers where they already are – on mobile.
