Customer Story
Doctolib enhances patient communication and builds trust with Sinch’s RCS upscale
Overview
Challenge: Transition from SMS to RCS to future-proof patient communications, while raising the bar on security, experience, and cost efficiency at scale.
Solution: Sinch’s RCS upscale service to direct existing SMS traffic to RCS.
Results: Launched RCS in German market with high delivery rates and no additional costs
“Sinch’s RCS Upscale service is remarkably easy, and the dedicated support from their team has been great.”
Since 2013, Doctolib has transformed healthcare across Europe and connected over 90 million patients with 500,000 healthcare professionals. With 25 million medical appointments booked monthly, clear and reliable communication is essential.
While Doctolib has seen excellent results with Sinch SMS, they are always looking for innovative ways to keep customers engaged and informed. They need messaging solutions that not only deliver messages reliably but also help protect patients from fraud, secure their sensitive data, and provide a more interactive experience.
When Apple embraced Rich Communications Services (RCS) for iOS in 2024, Doctolib partnered with Sinch’s messaging experts to explore the channel’s potential.
Secure, compliant, and interactive patient communications
RCS was a clear winner, with critical upgrades from SMS:
- Verified Agents: Establish trust and protect patients from smishing campaigns.
- Enhanced Security: End-to-end encryption for sensitive healthcare communications.
- Interactive Features: Call-to-action buttons and content carousels to guide patients through their healthcare journey.
Doctolib leveraged Sinch’s RCS upscale solution for a quick, low-risk implementation. This service converts existing SMS messages to RCS with minimal technical changes, making it ideal for testing at scale.
“Sinch’s RCS upscale service is remarkably easy, and the dedicated support from their team has been great,” said Vincent Boyer, Doctolib’s Product Manager.
Putting RCS upscale to the test
Doctolib created and validated its RCS agent in just 72 hours using Sinch’s intuitive platform. They then rolled out RCS campaigns to users in Germany, starting with 5% of messaging traffic and quickly scaling to 60%.
Sinch’s enhanced dashboard for RCS Upscale tracking provided Doctolib’s team with clear visibility into campaign performance.
“This project delivered an easy integration that improved our communication standards while upholding Doctolib’s strict security requirements,” Vincent said.
Scaling RCS across the EU
With an average delivery rate of 94%, Doctolib now sends over 140,000 RCS upscale messages daily and more than three million monthly. The team is considering introducing RCS to additional markets.
“RCS upscale proved to be an excellent way to test, learn, and scale efficiently while better serving the healthcare community,” Vincent concluded.
