The future of conversational messaging with RCS: A look ahead with BT
Dive into the world of RCS and conversational messaging in this exclusive interview with BT. Learn how our partnership is shaping the future of customer engagement.
![Senior Content Marketing Specialist](https://cdn-web.infobip.com/uploads/2023/03/razan-saleh.webp)
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.
From one-way to two-way messaging: The rise of conversational experiences
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:
- customers to interact with their favorite brands and receive help when needed
- marketers to engage customers across their journey – from onboarding to retention
- agents to provide personalized support quickly and easily
The evolution of messaging, transitioning from a one-directional channel for sending updates to a platform enabling two-way interactions allows brands to engage customers in meaningful conversations, fostering stronger relationships.
![](https://cdn-web.infobip.com/uploads/2024/06/Chris-Keone.webp)
Chris Keone
Director, Division X – BT
RCS for conversational messaging
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.
What we’re seeing from consumers and businesses alike is this combination now of beginning to make things more conversational, being more sticky, actually driving engagement with the brands.
![](https://cdn-web.infobip.com/uploads/2024/06/Chris-Keone-1.webp)
Chris Keone
Director, Division X – BT
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.
Key features of RCS Business Messaging
Enriched customer experience: Businesses can interact with their customers (who have agreed to receive messages) using a personalized and visually appealing interface that includes rich media, carousels, and quick response options.
![](https://cdn-web.infobip.com/uploads/2024/05/RCS-rich-media-carousels.webp)
Branded messages: RBM allows your to display your logo and brand colors to reinforce your brand identity and immediately make you recognizable.
![](https://cdn-web.infobip.com/uploads/2024/04/RCS-custom-branding.webp)
Suggested replies and actions: RBM allows businesses to tailor the messaging experience according to their customer preferences. With suggested actions and replies, you can lead the conversation, and your customer needs minimum effort to react and engage
![](https://cdn-web.infobip.com/uploads/2024/04/RCS-features-suggested-replies.webp)
Improved customer support: Businesses can leverage RBM Chatbots for customer service, facilitating tasks such as issuing E-Tickets, distributing promotional QR codes, offering live order tracking, and accepting mobile payments.
![](https://cdn-web.infobip.com/uploads/2024/04/Order-and-delivery-updates-RCS.webp)
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.
The role of AI in transforming customer communication
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.
If you look at the future customers of tomorrow, they’re probably going to be people that will invariably never want to pick up a phone to make a phone call.
![](https://cdn-web.infobip.com/uploads/2024/06/Chris-Keone-1.webp)
Chris Keone
Director, Division X – BT
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.
Overall, using combined AI solutions can:
- personalize content and recommendations to customers
- enhance forecasting and decision-making
- increase product development and innovation
- improve resource allocation strategies
- enhance risk mitigation through simulation and strategy suggestions
Infobip X BT: Co-innovating conversational experiences at scale
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.
One of the fantastic pieces that we’ve been able to do is take the best of our network, take the innovation that you’re driving with your platform and products and making sure that we bring those two things together in a really coherent way for our customers.
![](https://cdn-web.infobip.com/uploads/2024/06/Chris-Keone-1.webp)
Chris Keone
Director, Division X – BT
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.