Next-Gen SMS & RCS: Automation for 2025 Engagement

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Business messaging is changing. For years, the simple reliability of SMS made it a top choice for customer communication, thanks to its high open rates and direct approach. Now, Rich Communication Services (RCS) is here, offering a more interactive and visually rich way for businesses to connect with their audience.

This article will show you how to use automation for both SMS and RCS to build a powerful customer engagement strategy for 2025. A unified platform like OneSignal is built to help you manage these next-generation messaging channels effectively.

The rise of RCS: The next generation of business messaging

Think of RCS as the official upgrade to SMS. It combines the wide reach of texting with the advanced features you see in modern messaging apps. This turns a basic text into a rich, interactive experience that represents your brand.

Key features of RCS that improve customer interaction include:

  • Branded Messaging: Use your company logo and official colors to create a verified, professional look that builds customer trust.
  • Rich Media: Send high-resolution images, videos, and interactive carousels that can showcase products or services.
  • Suggested Replies: Quick-action buttons and suggested responses make it easy for customers to engage with a single tap.
  • Read Receipts: Know exactly when your messages have been delivered and read, giving you better insight into campaign performance.

These features lead directly to higher engagement and better conversion rates. With Apple finally supporting RCS in iOS 18, its adoption is growing fast. Using the best RCS business messaging software allows you to take full advantage of these powerful capabilities.

SMS vs. RCS: Choosing the right channel for your 2025 strategy

Deciding between SMS and RCS depends on your campaign goals, as each has unique strengths.

Arguments for SMS: The greatest advantage of SMS is its universal compatibility; it works on every mobile phone, guaranteeing your message will be delivered. Its straightforward cost also makes it a reliable and predictable channel for important alerts and announcements.

Arguments for RCS: RCS creates a much better user experience with its branding and interactive features. Using rich media and quick-reply buttons makes the conversation more dynamic, which often leads to higher engagement and more detailed analytics.

The best strategy is a hybrid approach: send an RCS message to devices that support it and have an automatic SMS fallback for those that don't. This ensures 100% message delivery. Platforms like OneSignal offer this functionality out of the box, giving you the best of both channels without any extra work.

The role of automation in next-gen messaging

Automation is what makes it possible to scale your SMS and RCS marketing. By setting up automated workflows, like OneSignal Journeys, you can engage customers at the perfect moment without manually sending every message.

Here are a few powerful automated workflows:

  • Abandoned Cart Reminders: For eCommerce businesses, you can send an RCS message with an interactive carousel showing the items a customer left behind, making it simple for them to finish their purchase.
  • User Onboarding & Re-engagement: Create an automated welcome series for new sign-ups or a re-engagement campaign to bring back inactive users of your mobile app.
  • Transactional Messages: Use branded RCS messages to send order confirmations and shipping updates for a more professional and trustworthy customer experience.

A flexible messaging API is crucial for creating custom triggers that fit your specific needs. These automated workflows are also part of a larger omnichannel strategy that can include channels like automated email for a seamless customer journey.

Simply put, the future of mobile messaging is interactive. To stay competitive, businesses need to watch for a few key trends.

RCS is poised for massive growth worldwide, with markets like Germany expecting a major increase in RCS users over the next few years.

This trend is also driving a move toward conversational commerce. Instead of one-way marketing blasts, businesses can have two-way conversations that guide customers toward a sale.

How to choose the best SMS & RCS software

When you're ready to invest in a messaging platform, it's vital to choose one that can handle both current and future needs. To find the best sms software for your company, look for these essential features:

  • Unified Omnichannel Platform: A single dashboard to manage SMS, RCS, push notifications, email, and in-app messages for a consistent customer experience.
  • Robust Automation Builder: An easy-to-use tool for creating complex customer journeys without needing to write code.
  • Seamless RCS with SMS Fallback: A system that automatically sends an RCS message when possible but uses SMS as a backup to guarantee delivery.
  • Advanced Segmentation & Personalization: The ability to target users based on their behavior and other attributes to send highly relevant messages.
  • Comprehensive Analytics: Detailed reports on campaign performance, including RCS-specific data like read rates and button engagement.

OneSignal is a leading solution that offers all these features. By unifying your messaging channels and using powerful automation, you can future-proof your customer engagement strategy and build stronger relationships with your audience.

Looking to get started with RCS?

OneSignal can help you navigate the application process with carriers and significantly streamline the RCS approval process so you can spend less time worrying about logistics and more time cooking up high-converting RCS campaigns.

Reach out to the OneSignal team to begin your RCS journey!