Skip to main content
Building on SMS, RCS lets businesses send rich, interactive experiences using verified brand identities, images, video, carousels, suggested replies and actions, with no separate app for customers to download.

​
Why use RCS for Business?

SMS is excellent for simple, universal communication. RCS adds a richer experience when you want customers to recognise your brand, interact with your content and take action directly from a message.

Build trust

Communicate using your verified business identity, including your brand name, logo and profile.

Create richer experiences

Bring messages to life with images, video, rich cards and carousels.

Make messages actionable

Let customers respond or take action directly from the message using suggested replies and actions.

​
What can you use RCS for?

RCS can support many different customer journeys, from simple notifications to highly interactive conversations. Typical use cases include:

Transactional

Send order confirmations, delivery updates, appointment reminders and service notifications.

Authentication

Send one-time passwords, verification codes and authentication messages.

Promotional

Share offers, promotions and marketing messages with customers who have provided the appropriate consent.

Conversational

Create two-way experiences where customers can reply, select options and interact with your business.
When creating an RCS Agent in Kero, you’ll select an Agent type that matches your intended messaging activity: OTP, Transactional, Promotional or Multi-use. Conversational messaging is a capability of RCS rather than a separate Kero Agent type. A Multi-use Agent may support more than one messaging purpose, subject to the applicable approval requirements.

Understand RCS Agent types

Learn which Agent type is appropriate for your business and messaging use case.

​
What is an RCS Agent?

An RCS Agent is your business identity within RCS messaging. It is the profile your customers see when they receive and interact with your RCS messages. Your Agent contains information such as your brand name, logo, description and contact details, creating a recognisable and trusted messaging experience. Before your Agent can send live messages to customers, your business and Agent must complete the required verification and launch process. In Kero, you can create and manage your RCS Agents from Channels → RCS → RCS Agents.

​
RCS vs SMS

RCS and SMS are both valuable business messaging channels, but they serve different purposes. You don’t necessarily need to choose one or the other. Kero supports SMS fallback for eligible messaging journeys, helping you reach recipients who cannot receive an RCS message. Fallback must be configured and is only attempted when the applicable routing and failure conditions are met.

​
RCS availability

Not every customer will be reachable through RCS. Availability depends on factors such as the recipient’s device, messaging app, mobile network and market. In Kero, you can use the Check option to determine whether a mobile number is RCS-capable before messaging, helping you choose the appropriate channel for each recipient. Where RCS isn’t available, an appropriately configured SMS fallback can help extend the reach of your messaging.
RCS capability can vary by recipient and network. An RCS-capable number does not guarantee that every message will be delivered, and fallback does not guarantee SMS delivery.

​
Two-way messaging

RCS supports two-way conversations, allowing customers to reply to your messages or interact using suggested replies and suggested actions. For example, an appointment reminder could let a customer confirm, reschedule or call your business directly from the message. This makes it easier for customers to take the next step without leaving the conversation.

​
Delivery and engagement

RCS gives you visibility into what happens after a message is sent, helping you understand delivery and customer engagement. Depending on the message and supported capabilities, you may receive events such as:
  • Sent: Your message has been submitted for delivery.
  • Delivered: The message has reached the recipient’s device or messaging service, as reported by the network.
  • Read: A read event has been reported where supported.
  • Interacted: The recipient has responded or performed a supported interaction.
Not every message will produce every event. Available reporting depends on the message, recipient capabilities and network support. If a message cannot be delivered, delivery events and error information can help you understand what happened. If you’re integrating Kero with another application, supported messaging events can be received through webhooks to help keep your systems updated. Customers should expect to receive messages from your business. Before sending RCS messages, make sure you have the appropriate consent and comply with the privacy and messaging requirements for your use case and market. Promotional messaging requires particular attention to opt-in and opt-out requirements. When you create an RCS Agent in Kero, we’ll ask you to describe your use case and explain how customers provide consent to receive your messages.
Good practice: Keep evidence of how and when customers provided consent, and always provide a clear way for them to stop receiving messages.

​
Ready to get started?

Ready to bring RCS messaging to your customers? Follow our Getting started with RCS guide to set up your business and RCS Agent, then prepare for testing, verification and launch.