The business messaging landscape is on the cusp of a major transformation with Rich Communication Services (RCS) Business Messaging. As iOS joins AndroidOS in supporting RCS, businesses now have unprecedented opportunities to create engaging, branded experiences directly in customers’ messaging apps.
Recently, David Ress, our Sr. Director, Messaging Strategy, and Kailey Gibbens, Product Marketing Manager, sat down with TJ Thinakaran, the founder of CasselRoad, a technology advisory firm and a renowned industry analyst, to discuss the overall state of messaging, with a specific focus on RCS.
So let’s explore what RCS means for your business today and in the near future.
What is RCS business messaging?
RCS Business Messaging (RBM), the A2P application of RCS, represents a significant leap beyond traditional SMS. According to David Ress, the power of RCS lies in several key features:
- Rich cards that combine media, text, and suggested replies in a visually appealing container
- Carousels that allow users to scroll through multiple cards
- Interactive elements like suggested replies and actions
- Read receipts and typing indicators for better conversation management
However, the most transformative feature might be the verified brand presence. Unlike SMS, which relies on phone numbers, short codes, or toll-free numbers, RCS messages come directly from your verified brand—creating immediate trust and recognition.
“There’s no telephone number. There’s no short code. There’s no toll-free number. It’s a brand. And it’s not just a brand, it’s a verified brand,” explains Ress.
“That leads to trust. Trust leads to engagement. And this is why studies have shown that RCS can be a three to seven times more engaging channel than traditional messaging channels.”
The current state of RCS in 2025
While excitement around RCS is high, it’s important to understand where we are in its development. Ress describes RCS evolution through three eras:
- The tinkering era—The first 16-17 years of RCS development with limited commercial success
- The inflection era (where we are now)—Accelerated by Apple’s support, the industry is working at a “frenetic pace” to make RBM viable
- The rapid growth era (coming in 2026)—When all pieces are in place for mainstream adoption
“Nobody’s missing out, not yet,” Ress reassures businesses concerned about falling behind. Currently, not all tier-one carriers in the US have fully implemented RCS, and there are still some ecosystem limitations. However, these issues are being rapidly addressed, setting the stage for explosive growth next year.
Three-tiered pricing model
One of the most significant changes RCS brings is a completely new pricing structure. Thinakaran explains the three levels of RCS commercial models:
- Basic messaging—Includes verified brand display and delivery reports, with Google recommending pricing parity to current SMS/MMS rates
- Single rich messages—Includes carousels, PDF payloads, and other rich features, typically priced 30-40% higher than basic
- Conversational messaging—An entirely new “unlimited” model where businesses and customers can exchange multiple messages within a time window (typically six hours) without per-message charges
“This is the first time in the industry we have a ground-up rewrite of a semblance of an unlimited messaging model,” Thinakaran emphasizes. This structure opens new possibilities for customer service and AI-driven conversations without the concern of per-message costs spiraling out of control.
Brand verification: The foundation of trust
For businesses familiar with 10DLC registration, RCS verification will feel familiar but with additional requirements. Thinakaran describes it as “10DLC plus”—building on existing registration processes while adding brand-specific elements:
- Logo and banner image specifications
- Contact information configuration
- Privacy policies and terms of service
The goal is to create absolute trust in the verified brand status. US carriers are collaborating closely on verification standards, recognizing its critical importance to the channel’s success.
“The US tier-one carriers are all collaborating on this channel. They want to create a ubiquitous experience,” notes Ress. “They recognize how critical it is to the success of the channel for the verified brand to really be verified and trusted.”
Compelling use cases for RCS
Notification use cases
Even simple notifications benefit dramatically from RCS capabilities. By upgrading existing SMS notifications to RCS, businesses can immediately create more visually appealing, branded experiences without extensive development work.
“Take a simple existing campaign and upgrade it to RCS,” suggests Ress. “Even in the simple example, you can see how much more visually appealing the RCS version is.”
As brands become comfortable with the basics, they can explore additional features like confirmation buttons, calendar integration, and location sharing—all enhancing engagement without changing the fundamental use case.
Marketing use cases
For marketers, RCS presents a toolkit that far exceeds what’s possible with MMS. Rich cards and carousels create visually engaging experiences while suggested actions streamline conversion paths.
Perhaps most exciting is the upcoming WebView feature, which allows businesses to embed web experiences directly within messages. Thinakaran explains: “What WebView allows you to do is say, ‘Great, you want to buy? Let me pop up my shopping cart page.” This eliminates the friction of redirecting customers to websites—where they often abandon purchases—and instead completes transactions within the message itself.
Enhanced analytics and data
RCS provides businesses with significantly better data than SMS, creating opportunities for more personalized and effective messaging:
- Post-back data from user interactions with buttons and suggested replies
- Reliable delivery receipts (unlike SMS, where delivery confirmation is inconsistent)
- Read receipts (when enabled by users)
- Interaction tracking for carousels and other rich elements
“The amount of data we’re going to get from the RCS medium is going to be extraordinary,” Thinakaran notes. This “zero-party data” allows businesses to understand when messages are delivered and read, how users interact with content, and which elements drive engagement.
This data also enables more sophisticated messaging strategies: “You finally get the ability to say, this message got onto the phone at 11:40. And then I can actually say, we know statistically that 95% of people read their messages within 15 minutes of getting that message.”
RCS vs. WhatsApp considerations
While RCS is positioned for ubiquity in the US market (eventually being available on all handsets), WhatsApp maintains significant strength both domestically in the US and globally.
In the US, WhatsApp already has approximately 30% device penetration and is the dominant messaging platform among Hispanic populations. Internationally, WhatsApp dominates in countries like India, Brazil, Spain, and Mexico.
Rather than seeing these as competing channels, businesses should consider how they complement each other based on regional needs and audience preferences. As users become more familiar with rich messaging features, expectations for engaging business communications will rise across all channels.
Next steps for businesses
As we navigate the inflection era of RCS Business Messaging, businesses should begin preparing for its rapid growth phase:
- Evaluate existing SMS campaigns that could benefit from RCS enhancement
- Gather brand verification materials and documentation
- Start experimenting with basic RCS features to understand engagement impacts
- Plan for more sophisticated implementations as the ecosystem matures
RCS represents the next evolution in business messaging—combining the universal reach of SMS with the rich engagement features previously only available in proprietary apps. By understanding its capabilities and timeline now, businesses can position themselves at the forefront of this communication revolution.
