Since 2005, TeleSign has been at the forefront of innovation in the CPaaS arena. Today, it released another key component to its suite of authentication and communications APIs, Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging. Vincent Oh, Director of Product Management for CPaaS at TeleSign, told me:
“CX is no longer just a bonus, it’s a core component of any brand’s overall strategy. Long hold times and waiting for a reply are some of the most prevalent downfalls of a CX-first strategy.”
“With RCS features such as two-way messaging with chatbots, RCS allows CX-focused brands to more effectively and efficiently communicate with customers, while enriching the communication experience through branding, pictures, gifs, video, and more.”
Customers Likely to Engage with Brands that Embrace RCS
He also shared his thoughts on RCS and UX, stating ‘RCS increases customer conversion rates and engagement by providing a richer and more user-friendly experience,’ citing an Open Market research report. The report found, 74 percent of consumers said they would be more likely to engage with brands over RCS as opposed to traditional SMS.
“While companies are familiar with sending engaging notes to their users from short-codes via SMS; in a post-SMS world, brands could send branded multimedia messages with simple recommended responses creating a more engaging user experience. RCS is already here, but it grows stronger and more popular every day as more carriers and devices accommodate the emerging technology.”
Differentiauatation is key, which is what many in the CPaaS space often struggle to do. Though RCS is valuable, TeleSign is not the first in the CPaaS space to do it. Earlier this year, Twilio launched its version of RCS business messaging with ‘Twilio Channels.’
TeleSign does differentiate its CPaaS offering by providing ‘best-of-breed quality global communications,’ Oh said. The CPaaS leader also offers customers phone number insights through its ‘Mobile Identity’ and delivers enterprise-grade customer service. The final piece of TeleSign’s differentiation puzzle is that its latest RCS service will align with its other differentiators, especially with its message template feature designed to simplify customer integrations and reduce API overhead.
The Future of RCS is Promising
With over-the-top providers like WhatsApp and Apple Business Chat dominating the market with billions of combined users, carriers have taken notice, Oh shared.
“Carriers are aware of this and as such we have seen some real momentum to offer both P2P and business messaging RCS that can compete with the UX OTT messaging applications provide.”
The good news is, though the penetration of RCS is lower than OTT’s, because of the support from OEMs like Samsung, Google, and Microsoft, RCS is an out-of-the-box feature on devices and networks that support RCS. This eliminates the need to download an app, putting TeleSign in a solid position as an early adaptor as the market grows.
As it stands, about 60 mobile operators spanning 45 countries have RCS capabilities. There is only room for further growth considering the sheer size of the global telecommunications marketplace and TeleSign stands to gain a lot as it surges.
