RBM billing: How it works

RBM billing isn’t as simple a process as SMS billing. Rather than being charged per message, RCS Business Messaging (RBM) may be billed as a single message or a session. Wondering what this means? In this blog post, we explain how Google RBM billing works.

A quick glossary of RBM terms

• Single message – these are basic messages of up to 160 characters in text. Rich cards, image carousels, videos and PDFs are also classed as single messages, though the 160 character limit doesn’t apply.
• Session – these may be A2P or P2P sessions. These can only be initiated per agent if the Conversational billing category is selected when setting up the RBM agent.
• A2P – this stands for application to person and refers to when a person/end customer is receiving messages from an application, such as a chatbot or automated messages like appointment reminders.
• P2A – this stands for person to application. It’s when a person/end customer sends messages to an application (AKA a business’ messaging solution).
• RBM agent – RCS Business Messaging agents are what allow businesses to communicate with users/end customers. Agents start conversations with users. They send the first message when they receive an external trigger that you configure – for example, if a package is dispatched or a customer reaches out with a query.
• MNO – this stands for mobile network operator. Examples include Orange, O2 and Vodafone. 

How are RCS messages billed?

Messages sent to the end customer are charged as single messages. Each 160-character text is charged as one single message, unless the recipient replies, in which case it becomes a conversation (a session is activated) and then the pricing changes to reflect this.

Here’s an example of a session being activated…

If you send the customer an RCS message (this is an example of an A2P message), this will be classed as a single message. Every message that you send to the end user without them replying will be charged as a single message.

If your customers respond within 24 hours (e.g. a reply or clicks on an action within the message), a session will start. This session will be open for 24 hours – during which you and the customer can exchange messages and your business will only be charged for one session.

What if a customer messages a business? How does the billing process work then?

When a customer messages a business (which they can after a business has sent the first message), it will trigger the RBM agent and start a 24-hour waiting period. If you respond within those 24 hours, a session will be initiated from that first P2A message’s timestamp and you can interact until those hours expire. 

The 24-hour waiting period will always start again from the previous one. This is to turn the single message into an A2P session if the customer replies. 

Want to get more out of RCS messages?

In the world of RCS (or RBM, if you’re referring to RCS messages sent by businesses), a message refers to each individual element you send to your customers. These are examples of individual elements:

• Text
• Image
• Video
• Suggested buttons (e.g. a reply or an action)
• Rich card
• Carousel

One of these makes up one single message. If you want to get the most out of your RCS experience, use a rich card that contains multiple elements (e.g. text, an image and a suggested reply button). 

To find out more about the potential of RCS messaging for your business, check out our quick start guide today. Or, reach out to us.