November 13, 2025
RCS in CX: How RCS Business Messaging Pays Off for Customer Experience Leaders
Remember when texting a company felt like sending a note into the void? It all started with SMS: short, boxy, but dependable. Somehow, that simple ping became the backbone of customer communication before anyone realized it.
Then MMS added pictures. Then came the rise of app-based chat, WhatsApp, Messenger, and every brand scrambling to meet customers where they already were.
Now we’re entering the next phase: RCS messaging, the revolution turning your phone’s default inbox into a rich, interactive experience.
Adoption is skyrocketing, partially because Apple decided to support RCS in iOS 18. For the first time, iPhone and Android users will share the same rich standard, all without switching apps.
But there’s more to it. With RCS business messaging, brands can finally have real, two-way conversations: verified, visual, and measurable. We’re not just talking about another channel here; we’re looking at a brand-new future for messaging.
This article breaks down how RCS in CX works, why it’s growing so fast, and what brands like Virgin Atlantic, Clarins, and Southwark Council are already doing with it, plus how to make it pay off in your own customer experience strategy.
What is RCS messaging? Understanding RCS in CX
Ever sent a text and wished it could do more? Maybe show a picture, confirm it was read, or track a delivery? That’s exactly the gap RCS fills. Short for Rich Communication Services, it’s the modern messaging standard built by the GSMA and mobile carriers to bring texting into the app era.
You get multimedia messages, verified brand profiles, buttons, carousels, delivery receipts, even suggested replies – all inside your phone’s default Messages app. No download needed, no third-party login.
For brands, RCS business messaging unlocks what SMS never could:
- Trust, because messages come from a verified sender with your logo and brand name.
- Design control, because you can show rich media, GIFs, or mini carousels instead of plain text.
- Data and insight, because you can finally see who read, tapped, or completed an action, not just who received the message.
Plus, unlike OTT apps like WhatsApp or Messenger, RCS in CX lives natively inside the inbox. That means you don’t fight for app installs or permission prompts; your message appears like a regular text. With Apple’s entry into RCS on iOS 18, RCS isn’t an Android-only experiment anymore; it’s a universal customer experience channel.
As coverage expands, RCS customer service strategies are beginning to become the new default for proactive updates, feedback loops, and self-service.
The Benefits of RCS for CX
The best customer experiences are built in small, thoughtful moments where a brand removes friction, builds trust, or makes life easier. That’s precisely what RCS in CX does. It takes the plain old text message and turns it into something useful, visual, and real.
Better experiences, fewer barriers
SMS is handy, but it was never built for modern CX. It’s clunky, restrictive, and easy to ignore. RCS messaging changes that. It feels like a chat app, but it’s right inside the phone’s native inbox. Customers can open a message and instantly see your logo, verify who you are, and tap buttons instead of chasing links.
Plus, thanks to growing adoption from CX vendors like 8×8, it’s easier than ever for companies to just embed RCS into their omnichannel strategies. You can make it a core part of a simple, connected strategy that appeals directly to customers who would rather type than talk.
Happier agents, smoother operations
Behind every good experience is a support team trying to do ten things at once. RCS business messaging takes a few off their plate. The channel can guide people through simple tasks with smart replies and visual steps, so agents only step in when it truly matters.
One fintech, UME, found that 80 percent of its chatbot conversations handled over RCS now resolve automatically, and collections costs dropped by half. That’s giving customers the power to help themselves while keeping humans available for the moments that need empathy.
Plus, because every RCS chat carries context about what the customer clicked, answered, or sent, agents pick up right where the automation left off.
Stronger brands, real differentiation
In a world full of anonymous texts and phishing scams, RCS customer service gives brands their identity back. Each message is verified, branded, and visually consistent with your colors, your tone, and your design. Customers instantly know it’s safe to engage.
That trust translates directly into engagement. Clarins, for example, saw far higher read and click rates after shifting to RCS business messaging, simply because the messages looked and felt like Clarins, not a random text blast.
Ways to Use RCS in CX: Real RCS Messaging Use Cases
Let’s make it real. The best way to understand the value of RCS in CX is to see it in action. These examples show exactly where smart brands are finding new ways to connect.
Personalized Product Suggestions & Conversational Commerce
For years, retailers have been trying to make marketing feel like help instead of noise. RCS business messaging finally gives them a channel that feels that way. It turns a promotion into a conversation: something useful, not another interruption.
Instead of a plain text with a promo code, imagine sending a verified message with your brand’s logo, a product carousel, and quick-reply buttons for “Shop Now” or “See More.” That’s the kind of RCS in CX experience Clarins built for its holiday campaigns. The beauty brand replaced static SMS blasts with interactive RCS threads that let customers browse gift sets right inside the message.
The difference was instant: 79 percent read rate, 22 percent click-through, and more than three-and-a-half times the redirections of Rich SMS. Once customers could see and tap the product without leaving the message, engagement took off.
Collecting Feedback & Closing the Loop
We all send surveys; most of them get ignored. The secret is timing, catching someone right after the interaction, when it’s still fresh and they actually care.
That’s where RCS messaging can be helpful. Instead of emailing a link days later, you can send a short branded message moments after a delivery, appointment, or support chat. Something like: “Thanks for your time, how was your experience?”
Customers reply in seconds, and the results drop straight into your CRM. You can even take it further: high scores trigger a thank-you coupon, while low ones go straight to a real person for follow-up.
In tests across service-heavy sectors like telecom, utilities, and retail, response rates through RCS messaging have been reported up to seven times higher than email or SMS surveys. That kind of real-time loop gives CX teams something they rarely get: immediate, actionable feedback they can use the same day.
Streamlining Customer Support & Transactional Flows
Every support leader knows the pain of simple requests that clog up queues: “Where’s my order?”, “How do I reschedule?”, “Is my payment confirmed?” Most of those could be handled in seconds if customers just had an easier way to do it.
That’s what RCS in CX delivers: a fast, verified, visual path for everyday interactions. Take the Southwark Council in London. They were dealing with frustrated residents who often ignored payment reminders because generic SMS messages felt suspicious. By moving to RCS business messaging, they sent verified, branded updates that included the council’s logo and clear one-tap actions like “View your account” or “Make a payment.”
The result? A 51 percent jump in customers taking action, 31 percent more choosing to pay, and 90 percent said they felt more reassured that the messages were genuine. For any organization that handles billing, logistics, or appointments, this kind of RCS in CX workflow is a no-brainer. It turns what used to be a support ticket into a self-service moment.
Improving Self-Service Through AI + RCS
Nobody enjoys calling support for something they could fix themselves. The future of RCS customer service lies in meeting people halfway: automation that’s quick, personal, and doesn’t feel robotic.
Financial-services brand UME nailed this balance. They introduced RCS messaging chatbots that guide customers through payment plans and account questions directly in-thread. The bot can display rich cards, show payment options, and escalate to a live agent with full context if needed.
Eighty percent of customer conversations now resolve without a human agent, debt-collection conversion hit 100 percent, and operational costs dropped by 54 percent.
It’s proof that automation doesn’t have to kill the human touch. The RCS experience feels smooth and natural, like messaging a helpful assistant who knows what you need, not wrestling with a menu that goes nowhere.
Loyalty, Engagement & Retention
Loyalty is getting harder to hold onto. You can’t keep it with one solo effort.
You need to invest in regular, small interactions that remind customers you actually know them. Most programs miss that moment. The emails feel corporate, and SMS has lost its spark. RCS business messaging brings it back.
Take SMARTY, the fast-growing UK mobile network. Their team was juggling different systems for email and SMS, which made it hard to see who was engaging and where. They moved everything to Webex Connect and started using RCS messaging for renewals, retention, and feedback, all from one place.
What changed? Pretty much everything. Engagement on campaigns shot up by 500 percent. RCS messages pulled twice the engagement of email. Plus, customer sentiment flipped, with 70 percent of reviews now hitting five stars on Trustpilot.
The biggest surprise was the tone. RCS gave the messages warmth. Every offer or update felt like a conversation instead of a broadcast, which led to deeper insights.
Onboarding New Customers or Users
When someone signs up, what they really want is reassurance; a clear sign that it worked and that someone’s guiding the next step. With RCS messaging, you can do that inside their native inbox, complete with visuals and quick buttons that walk them through setup.
That’s how Angel One, one of India’s top fintech companies, fixed its onboarding problem. SMS messages weren’t getting through, and too many users gave up before activating their accounts. Moving to RCS business messaging made a clear difference.
Messages landed reliably, opened more often, and customers actually acted on them. Angel One saw a 10 percent boost in delivery, a 35 percent open rate on its onboarding flows, and far smoother activation overall.
But the best feedback wasn’t in the numbers. It came from customers who said the process felt “simpler” and “less stressful.”
Proactive Field, Travel, and Logistics Orchestration
Most service frustrations come down to one thing: silence. The delivery that’s “on its way” but never updates. The flight check-in reminder that lands too late. The engineer who shows up after you’ve already left. All of that disappears when communication becomes two-way and real-time: exactly what RCS messaging was built for.
Think about getting ready for a Virgin Atlantic flight out of Heathrow. Before you even check your bag, a message shows up on your phone: verified, branded, and personal. It’s got your flight number, check-in details, and a simple button that says Check in now.
That’s RCS business messaging doing what it does best: cutting stress before it starts. It didn’t just look nicer. It worked better. People checked in faster. Airport lines moved quicker. Travelers showed up feeling calm and taken care of, instead of rushed and confused.
The same idea works anywhere timing matters. A delivery company can share a live-update card with “Track,” “Reschedule,” and “Leave with Neighbor” options. A field-service team can confirm appointments and send arrival alerts without another phone call. It’s still messaging, but it feels like coordination.
Quick Tips for Getting the Most out of RCS for CX
Getting started with RCS in CX isn’t some giant digital overhaul. The smart approach is to test, learn, and scale. Start with one simple flow and build on what works.
Make sure the basics are in place
Before launching, check the basics. Are your systems, devices, and carriers ready for RCS messaging? With Apple now rolling out support on iOS, this is the moment to make sure everything connects.
Verify your brand profile early
The verified sender badge is what makes customers instantly trust your message. Register your business profile through your provider so that your logo, colors, and brand name appear correctly. It’s the difference between a message someone taps and one they delete.
Start with one clear use case
You don’t have to light up every customer journey at once. Pick one moment that matters: maybe onboarding, delivery updates, or post-service follow-ups, and get that right. Once you can prove that RCS business messaging lifts engagement or shortens resolution time, the rest will fall into place.
Design for conversation, not broadcast
Think “chat,” not “campaign.” Use quick replies, carousels, and buttons to make interactions simple and fluid. Keep messages short and valuable, like an assistant guiding the next step, not a billboard shouting an offer.
Personalize and segment from day one
RCS customer service works best when it feels personal. Use data from your CRM to shape messages around where each customer is in their journey. A new buyer shouldn’t see the same thing as a long-time subscriber.
Measure what matters
Go beyond open rates. Track completion, resolution, or satisfaction: the things that actually prove impact on CX. The beauty of RCS messaging is that it gives you these insights natively, without relying on assumptions or lagging metrics.
Keep privacy and fallback in mind
Good CX is also about reliability. Always plan a backup route (SMS or email) for users who can’t receive RCS yet. Make opt-in and consent transparent, and store interaction data responsibly.
The Future of Messaging in Customer Service
When Apple announced support for RCS in iOS 18, the game changed. No more mismatched features or broken links, just one universal standard that makes messaging feel modern again.
The shift to RCS business messaging isn’t slow anymore; it’s in full swing. Carriers, phone makers, and platforms are finally on the same page, turning it into the main channel for trusted, two-way conversations. Analysts see usage climbing fast through 2029.
Add AI into the mix, and those messages start feeling more personal, not just updates, but conversations that adjust to what each customer needs in the moment. Messages can confirm deliveries, suggest next steps, or hand off to an agent without breaking the thread. It feels less like “press one to continue” and more like a helpful conversation that adapts in real time.
RCS customer service isn’t replacing your current channels; it’s pulling them together. It connects automation with empathy, and sales with support, all in one verified message thread. The brands that move now will define what great RCS messaging looks like for the decade ahead.
