The future of conversational messaging with RCS: A look ahead with BT

As more businesses and consumers rely on messaging apps for communication, the demand for richer, more interactive messaging experiences is on the rise. We’re moving beyond traditional SMS messaging towards a richer, more interactive experience—conversational messaging. Why? Simply because customers want to interact with brands on their channel of choice.

Rich Communication Services (RCS) has taken center stage as a leading customer communication channel. It makes it easy for brands to set up conversational experiences that attract, engage, and retain customers for the long term. 

We sat down with Chris Keone, Director of Division X at BT Business, to discuss the current messaging trends, the exciting possibilities of RCS Business Messaging, and how customer communication is evolving with conversational messaging.

Watch the full interview here or read on to learn more about our discussion. 

Conversations between people break down barriers through two-way interactions. This helps us learn more about each other and see things from different perspectives. 

Now, think about how businesses talk to their customers. Using two-way communication between businesses and their customers is what we call a conversational experience. By combining human creativity with conversational tools, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI), businesses can provide more personalized, friction-free, and human-like customer journeys. 

Gartner predicts that by 2025, 80% of customer service organizations will have abandoned native mobile apps in favor of messaging for a better customer experience. Simply put, conversational customer experiences make it easy for:

RCS  has become a leading customer communication channel in the last couple of years. With Apple announcing it will be supporting RCS in 2024, the channel is now set for exponential growth. RCS will no doubt become one of the primary channels that businesses and all types of organizations use to communicate with customers. 

It is the perfect blend of the reliability of SMS messages and the rich features of modern messaging apps. With RCS Business Messaging (RBM), brands can build stronger customer relationships and see impressive results from their lead generation campaigns. 

RBM is a native channel that promotes two-way communication and enables businesses to engage with customers through branded, rich, conversational messaging.

Keone discusses the growing adoption of RBM in the UK and around the world. It offers enhanced features like file sharing and improved message experiences, making it a valuable tool for businesses. 

By using RBM, BT enables businesses to create interactive experiences directly with the end user without downloading a dedicated app. This ensures your message reaches its target audiences, leading to powerful benefits for your business.

Let’s explore some of the key features of RCS Business Messaging. 

Infobip is an official Google partner and has been offering RCS Business Messages since 2017. We have been repeatedly recognized as an industry leader in the RCS and omnichannel communication market and continue to innovate with services incorporating AI and machine learning. 

On our platform this year, we have seen a 62% increase in RCS interactions. The telecom and finance sectors saw a massive 1062% and 40% jump in RCS interactions, respectively.

Read our latest messaging trends report and find out more:

Together with our omnichannel expertise and BT’s global network, we will ensure your RCS messages are safely and securely delivered to customers everywhere.

While some customers still want the option to speak to a real person, many prefer to communicate with businesses via text or two-way messaging. 

Conversational AI can significantly enhance customer engagement and streamline development processes. Combining AI technologies with conversational communication solutions enables businesses to deploy virtual assistants that offload from marketing, sales, and support teams. 

Instead of just using a chatbot to answer queries, it can now be customized to support promotional activities, guide leads through the sales journey, and automate complete workflows without any human involvement.

The future of customer communication is conversational. Hence, co-creation between mobile network operators and communication technology providers is vital. By combining expertise, businesses can develop solutions that effectively address customer challenges. 

Partnerships, like the one between BT and Infobip, allow for combining network strengths with innovative communication platforms to deliver a truly powerful conversational experience for customers.

RCS and conversational messaging offer exciting possibilities for businesses to connect with customers on a deeper level. By prioritizing user experience, fostering strong partnerships, and adopting AI responsibly, businesses can position themselves to thrive in this evolving landscape.

Combining our conversational platform with BT’s global network and the power of Google’s AI capabilities, we can guarantee conversational RCS interactions that will set you apart in your market.