Insights
RCS and the customer journey: Transforming connections at every step
Insights
Despite what you may have learned in a traditional marketing class, customer journeys are anything but one-size-fits-all. Some people will only engage with a brand once, while others interact across multiple channels over days, weeks, or months. And while these paths may be unpredictable, one thing’s for sure – consumers want every experience to be relevant, timely, and easy.
This means it’s time for businesses to shift their approach to digital customer communications. It’s time to move away from one-way, generic messages to personalized, customer-centric ones. Instead of focusing on what they want to push out, brands must consider what customers truly need: relevant information, smooth interactions, and a sense of security. Just like personal connections, meaningful brand interactions build trust and loyalty.
That’s where Rich Communication Services (RCS) comes in. RCS is a rich messaging channel that helps brands connect with customers in a meaningful and natural way, whether in their first interaction or one of many.
In this article, we’ll go through how businesses are grappling with rising customer expectations and how RCS supports better customer experiences based on our 2025 framework for digital business communications. Let’s dive in.
In 2024, our global consumer survey found that one in four customers would walk away from a brand if they sent irrelevant communications. Today’s consumers expect real, personalized conversations that feel as natural as texting a friend. They want timely, relevant messages that fit into their daily lives.
This shift has many brands rethinking their omnichannel communications strategies, focusing on what truly drives customer experience: keeping people engaged, informed, safe, and happy on their preferred channels.
Enter RCS. It has the reach of SMS, delivering messages to peoples’ native mobile inboxes, but with the richness of modern conversational messaging, like verified sender profiles, interactive elements like carousels, and rich visuals.
Businesses that use RCS have had results speak for themselves:
Think of it this way: Instead of sending basic updates, a retailer could use RCS to let customers track their order in real time, or a travel brand can showcase destinations with tappable images. With RCS, businesses are creating experiences that customers actually want to be part of because they’re unique, engaging, and real.
Marketing campaigns are essential for driving sales, but with so much noise in consumers’ inboxes, getting your message right is crucial. Consumers opt into messaging programs because they expect value in return – not generic content. When your mobile marketing adds real value, customers will stay engaged, which in turn will drive stronger relationships and generate sales.
That’s where marketing campaigns sent via RCS can really deliver. Here’s how:
When Clarins, a global cosmetics company, discovered they could send RCS to both Android and iOS devices, they put it to the test for their holiday marketing campaign. Instead of plain text messages, they sent high-quality images and tappable buttons linking to an Advent calendar to showcase their offers. Customers could browse and add items to their carts without ever leaving their messaging app.
And the impact? Huge. Clarins saw click-through rates with RCS jump 2.5x compared to Rich SMS. It’s proof that when brands make their messages rich and personalized, people respond.
Today’s consumers expect businesses to be proactive about giving them updates on their orders, appointments, and payments. In fact, when we asked global consumers in 2024 about what they valued most in their relationship with a business, tracking orders came out on top.
But basic text alerts aren’t enough anymore. Consumers want timely, relevant updates that give them flexibility and control. And when businesses deliver this, it not only boosts customer satisfaction, but also helps brands better manage unexpected issues, creating smoother operations all around.
And that’s where RCS shines. Instead of simple, one-way notifications, businesses can send interactive, visually rich transactional messages that make it easy to take action.
This could look like a shipping update with an embedded map for real-time order tracking, an appointment reminder with tappable buttons that make it easy to confirm or reschedule, or even a delayed delivery notice with the option to change the time. RCS helps businesses turn simple alerts and updates into experiences that keep customers informed and in control.
EasyPark, a global leader in digital parking solutions, uses Basic RCS messages to keep their millions of users informed with timely updates – and when they’re sending messages to a phone that isn’t RCS-compatible, they use SMS. This helps them make sure no customer misses important information.
EasyPark uses RCS to ensure that customers always feel informed and in control of their parking experience, making it easier to manage their day.
In a time where someone falls victim to a cyberattack every 11 seconds, businesses need to earn customer trust. Likewise, consumers want to know their personal data is safe in a business’s hands. Nearly a third of consumers say that security is the most important part of their relationship with a brand, and if they don’t feel secure, they’ll take their business elsewhere. Having a strong identity verification plan in place helps build trust from the start, whether it’s when someone is signing up, logging in, or confirming sensitive transactions.
RCS strengthens this process with built-in protections that make verification messages more secure and recognizable, like:
Take one-time passwords (OTPs) as an example. Businesses that send OTPs via RCS benefit from verified sender profiles, making it much harder for scammers to impersonate their brands. Plus, branded messages reduce the risk of phishing, creating a safer experience for customers. And the best part? There are no added steps for someone to verify their identity via an RCS OTP versus an SMS one, but with RCS they get a better, more secure experience.
Nobody likes repeating themselves. When customers reach out to support, they expect quick, efficient help without having to restate their issue across channels and agents. A frustrating customer service experience can turn a minor problem into a lost customer.
RCS helps address this issue by keeping everything in one conversation. After clicking “Contact support” in an RCS conversation, customers can text an integrated AI chatbot for quick troubleshooting, and then transition to a live agent if needed, without having to switch apps and without that agent losing context of the previous conversation. This helps customers get their questions answered faster – and since 38% of consumers prefer working with customer service via messaging channels, RCS meets them where they already are.
Even more than troubleshooting, RCS can make customer service interactions more engaging and useful. A customer could share photos or videos directly in the chat to help describe their issue, and a business could respond with step-by-step guidance or how-to videos.
Even after a purchase, a brand could use RCS to:
The bottom line? When their support experience feels effortless, customers feel valued, and valued customers stick around.
Your customers’ journeys with your brand are as unique as they are, filled with experiences that shape their perception of your brand. That’s why businesses need to move from a one-size-fits-all approach and focus on building real connections one interaction at a time.
With RCS, brands can do just that: Keep customers engaged with personalized marketing, informed with real-time updates, secure with verified messaging, and happy by delivering seamless support. And because it all happens within a single, familiar channel, every interaction feels effortless, timely, and connected.
Ready to transform how you engage with customers? Sinch can help you create meaningful, lasting connections at every step. Book a time to chat with an expert and see how RCS can help.
