Wondering what RCS business messaging (RBM) is? Learn more about how it works and the top ways to use it in this article.
One of the biggest benefits of SMS is that every phone can receive it. Soon, this honour will extend to RCS too, especially as Apple has announced it would be offering RCS support after all. With this increased attention on RCS, you may have noticed two terms being used interchangeably – RCS and RBM. What do they actually mean?
What is RCS?
RCS stands for Rich Communication Services. It’s a messaging protocol that’s adopted by mobile network operators. Built upon the SMS channel, it means users don’t need to download a separate app. What differentiates RCS from SMS is the ability to send rich messages.
This includes:
- Messages with multimedia content (e.g. images, videos, GIFs etc).
- The ability to see live typing indicators and read receipts.
Although users don’t need a separate app, they do need an internet connection and an RCS-enabled mobile device. Otherwise, the message will be delivered as an SMS message.
Learn more: RCS messaging: All you need to know
What is RBM?
RCS Business Messaging, also known as RBM, is the type of RCS messaging that businesses offer. When sending RCS messages to customers or offering RCS messaging services to other organisations, businesses will use a branded, verified RBM agent to speak to consumers.
How it works
Your RBM agent will send the first message to users when it receives an external trigger that you set up. Some examples of triggers include:
- An order being placed (so you need an order confirmation text).
- A delivery on the way (an order dispatch text).
- A user reaching out to customer support via live chat and opting to continue the conversation via RCS/text.
Once triggered, the agent will send a message to your recipient’s device via the RBM API. The message will be delivered to your recipient’s default messaging app. If they reply or trigger another event (e.g. they fill out their contact details to ‘learn more’ about a particular product), Google’s RBM service will send the response to your webhook, which then passes the information onto your agent.
Your agent will decode this message and using internal logic, will decide on a response to the user, sending this back to their device via the RBM API.
The conversation will continue until the user stops responding and/or the RBM agent recognises that they’ve reached the intended conclusion.
How businesses can use RCS
1. Rich notifications
Reminders will not only keep your customers informed but can also help them to manage important notes – such as reminders.
Example applications include:
- Order confirmations
- Delivery updates
- Appointment reminders
- Service interruptions
2. Marketing
When you send marketing campaigns through RCS, you benefit from the ability to send rich, engaging content which can help you boost read rate, conversion and the overall user experience.
Example applications include:
- Flash sales
- Product launches
- Upsells
- Driving website traffic
3. Customer support
RCS can resolve support queries faster and create improved experiences for customers.
Example applications include:
- Account updates
- Order queries
- FAQs
- Contract/policy updates
4. Alerts
One of the most popular and effective ways to use mobile messaging is to send alerts to customers, informing them of status updates, IT notifications and more. With RCS, your business can improve customer experience, and gather better metrics and analytics data on campaigns.
Example applications include:
- Travel updates
- Facility closures
- Security breaches
- Account updates
5. Chatbots
From rearranging appointments to processing payments, handling common queries can be time-consuming and take resources away from the cases that really require human intervention. A chatbot delivered via RCS can not only solve this challenge, but also give customers the power to serve themselves, eliminating the need to speak to a support agent or experience delays in the process as a result of being put on hold.
Example applications include:
- Appointment booking and management
- Order updates
- Account management
- Answering FAQs
RCS vs RBM: The summary
RCS is the messaging channel and standard that is meant to be an evolution of SMS. RBM is the business version of RCS. When businesses send consumers messages via RCS, it’s known as ‘RCS Business Messaging’ AKA RBM.
This is why you may see the two terms being used interchangeably, particularly in resources that cover RCS for businesses.
RCS is a great way to offer a rich messaging experience to consumers. Thanks to key features like a branded business profile, customised reply buttons, end-to-end encryption and the ability to add rich media, RCS can help organisations drive engagement, customer loyalty and revenue.
Want to find out more about RCS messaging and how businesses can use it to its full potential? Download our quick start guide below.
Emily Herbertson
Emily is a marketing executive for Esendex UKI and has worked in a variety of content creation and strategy roles in both B2B and B2C.
