Why RCS is the one to watch this year

Our Senior Product Manager, Steve Mathieson, recently spoke at an event on Rich Communication Services (RCS), which we attended in partnership with Google and the event’s host CM.com - a global leader in cloud software for conversational commerce. 

The event, which took place at The Shard, opened with an address from Philippe Oliveira, Senior Business Development Manager for UK & Ireland, who quickly set the scene by stating that the mobile phone has become ‘the remote control of our lives’. 

And with that comment, the entire audience, which included senior figures from illustrious companies, immediately paid attention. 

SMS vs. RCS

Philippe went on to outline how SMS continues to be incredibly effective as a messaging tool for CM.com. Having sent seven billion SMS messages on behalf of their clients, one of which is Cymba, they should know. But he also drew the audience’s attention to its limitations. 

For example, SMS has no branding facility (it’s simply characters and words), no Verified Sender profile, no read receipts and limited potential for interaction. RCS, on the other hand, can include full branding, Verified Sender profiles and an abundance of video and images including carousel functionality. 

After all, SMS has been around since 1992; it’s old technology by today’s standards. Whereas RCS is new technology that’s only just beginning its ascendance into the mainstream. 

And this is exactly why Cymba is integrating the technology into its charity clients’ campaigns (more on that to follow) and why Google is heavily investing in its development. 

Vital statistics

Google’s RCS Business Development Manager, Tim Atkinson, confirmed this during his presentation on harnessing the powers of carrier messaging. 

According to Tim, Google’s RCS mission revolves around enabling reliable, helpful and safe communications on any device. Based on the statistics he referenced, RCS appears to be providing the framework to do just that. 

RCS’s pervasive nature means that response rates are 60 – 300 per cent higher than SMS*, engagement levels are up to 500 per cent higher* and conversation rates 20 – 250 per cent higher*. Add to this the fact that 89 per cent of people want to connect with organisations via messaging+, and the case for multimedia-driven interactive messaging is hard to ignore. 

Early adopters and early successes

Having worked with CM.com since 2021, Cymba now sends four million SMS messages a month. 

However, it is RCS and its associated possibilities that’s capturing our clients’ imaginations after we made it available in 2023. 

Firstly, it’s much more engaging than SMS. Using imagery, video and one-tap replies not only make messages from charities much more dynamic and interesting, but also easier to respond to. 

The Verified Sender tick, once clicked, brings up more information about the charity that’s sending the message, which only reassures the recipient that they’re receiving a safe message (the ambiguous nature of bit.ly links can cause recipients to question the source). 

Additionally, you can complete your declaration and even speak to a support centre direct from the RCS message, both of which make supporting a charity – or interacting with a charity, at the very least – very easy from the outset. 

Cymba’s successes with some of the UK’s major charities including RSPCA, RSPB and SENSE have already proven that RCS is likely to revolutionise fundraising campaigns – not years from now, but months from now as the technology becomes more prevalent. 

It’s important to note that SMS is very far from dead. But RCS is very powerful. The recent event, which welcomed some of the UK’s largest brands, not least of all Google, is testament to this. 

Our view is that those who choose to use RCS now are likely to benefit from the early gains. 

For more information on RCS and how to get the best from your fundraising campaigns, download our free eBook – Fundraising in 2024 and beyond. Or, to speak with one of our experts, call Cymba on +44 (0)845 0829622 or email enquiries@cymba.co.uk.  

*Infobip, client case studies, 2023; +Spectrm, 2021