Using Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging function

Rich Communication Services (RCS) improve communication with dynamic features and interactivity. It empowers users with advanced capabilities, streamlines interactions, and transforms conversational engagement. You can use RCS to send messages with features like high-quality media, read receipts, and typing indicators.

• Setting up an RCS agent

• Sending an RCS message

• Adding Suggested Actions to an RCS Message

• Adding Suggested Replies to an RCS Message

• Actions in Suggested Replies and Suggested Responses

• Fallback Stepper in RCS Broadcasts

• Navigating to the Fallback Stepper

• Sending Test for Suggested Replies and Suggested Actions

• Mobile Preview for Suggested Replies

• RCS Agents Management

Setting up an RCS agent

To set up an RCS agent, reach out to your customer success representative for assistance.

Sending an RCS message

To send a message via RCS, go to Text Messaging> Broadcasts. Click on + New Broadcast. In the “Conversation” stepper, select Send as RCS from the “Message” dropdown.

The RCS messaging feature includes four key options: dynamic fields, insert links, insert liquid, and insert emojis.

Note: The Attach Media option is disabled for RCS messages. When you hover over the disabled Attach Media option, the tooltip displays the message: RCS messages can’t include media. Try using an RCS component like a Rich Card instead.

When the “Send as RCS” option is selected, the character limit automatically sets to 1000 characters. The message box displays "Send via RCS" in the lower right corner. The character count updates in real-time, with the following visual indicators:

• At 160 characters, the count turns orange, accompanied by a tooltip “Additional fees apply for character counts exceeding 160”.

  

• For unsupported or unknown characters, the count displays "unknown" in orange, along with a tooltip “Character count for RCS messages with liquid tester content cannot be determined, potentially affecting pricing. Additionally, messages exceeding 1000 characters trigger your selected fallback option”.

  

• When the character limit exceeds 1000 characters, the excess characters are highlighted in red.

  

You can see an accurate representation of the message in the message preview, reflecting the RCS Agent, including its name, branding, logo, and any real-time updates to the message content such as text, images, or buttons.

Adding Suggested Actions to an RCS Message

You can add interactive elements to your RCS messages—such as Dial Phone, Location, Open URL, and Calendar Event. These actions make broadcasts more dynamic and engaging, enabling recipients to take immediate, meaningful action directly from the message.

Follow these steps to include interactive suggested actions in your RCS message:

1. Go to Text Messaging.

2. Select Broadcasts.

3. Click + NEW BROADCAST to create a new broadcast message.

4. Proceed to the “Conversation” stepper.

5. Select the Send as RCS message option.

6. Within the message container, click on the kebab menu (three vertical dots).

7. Select Add Rich Content from the kebab menu.

This opens the Rich Content modal.

8. In the Rich Content modal, select Suggested Actions from the available options. You can select only one option.

Select CANCEL to close the Rich Content modal without saving any changes.

Select NEXT to proceed to the next step – Select Suggested Actions.

The Select Suggested Actions modal opens.

9. Choose the type of action you want to add from the available options (for example, Dial Phone, Location, Open URL, and Calendar Event). You can select one or more options from the list.

Select CONFIRM to confirm the selected option.

Note: The CONFIRM button is disabled when no option is selected.

Select CANCEL to close the Select Suggested Actions modal without saving any changes.

Select BACK to return to the previous modal without selecting any option.

The following suggested actions are available:

• Open URL: When creating an RCS broadcast, you can select the “Open URL” that displays specific fields where you can input a URL and its related information, allowing you to include clickable URLs in your RCS messages.

  

  Upon selecting the “Open URL” option in the Select Suggested Actions modal, a new section titled “Suggested Actions” appears in the “Conversation” stepper.

  

  This section contains a sub-layout for Open URL, featuring fields for the Title and URL. You can input the relevant information, making it easy to include clickable links in your RCS messages.

  The following fields are available:

  • Title: Enter a description or label for the URL.

  • URL: Enter the actual URL to be linked.

  

  The URL field validates that the entered URL follows the correct URL format.

  

  Note: The fields are highlighted with a red border to indicate that they are mandatory fields.

  

• Dial Phone: Allows users to configure a title and phone number in RCS broadcasts.

  

  Upon selecting the “Dial Phone” option in the Select Suggested Actions modal, a new section titled “Suggested Actions” appears in the “Conversation” stepper.

  

  This section contains a sub-layout for Dial Phone, featuring fields for the Title and Phone. You can input the relevant information, making it easy to include “Dial Phone” action in RCS broadcasts to allow recipients to directly call a specified number.

  The following fields are available:

  • Title: Enter a title (for example, “Call”) that will be displayed in the actual message and mobile preview.

  • Phone: Enter a valid phone number.

  

  If the Phone field is left empty or contains an invalid format, an error message is displayed.

  

• Location: Allows recipients to view and interact with specific geographical locations you provide.

  

  Upon selecting the “Location” option in the Select Suggested Actions modal, a new section titled “Suggested Actions” appears in the “Conversation” stepper.

  

This section contains a sub-layout for location, featuring fields for the Title, Latitude, Longitude, and Label of Location.

The following fields are available:

• Title: Enter a title for the location action (for example, “Location”).

• Latitude: Enter the latitude of the location. Only numeric values are allowed.

• Longitude: Enter the longitude of the location. Only numeric values are allowed.

• Label of Location: Provide additional context or a label for the location.

  

  If the mandatory fields are left blank or contains an invalid format, an error message is displayed.

  

• Calendar Event: Add a calendar action to your RCS message to allow recipients to add scheduled events directly to their calendars. This helps ensure timely engagement and increases the effectiveness of time-sensitive messages.

  

  Upon selecting the “Calendar Event” option in the Select Suggested Actions modal, a new section titled “Suggested Actions” appears in the “Conversation” stepper.

  

  This section contains a sub-layout for calendar event, featuring fields for the Title, Start Time, End Time, Event Title, and Description.

  The following fields are available:

  • Title: Enter a title for the calendar action.

  • Start Time: Pick the start date and time for the calendar event from the date picker.

  • End Time: Pick the end date and time for the calendar event from the date picker.

  • Event Title: Enter a title for the calendar event.

  • Description: Enter additional details about the calendar event.

    If the mandatory fields are left blank or contains an invalid format, an error message is displayed.

    

Note: The “Title” field is mandatory for all suggested actions.

These added elements appear as actionable chips in the mobile preview to ensure correct elements are included in the final RCS message before sending. When you add, move, or delete any suggested actions, the mobile message preview dynamically updates to reflect these changes.

The chip displays a default label for the following actions when no text is provided:

• Open URL: Web

• Dial Phone: Call

• Location: Map

• Calendar Event: Calendar

Note: These chips are visual representation of the added suggested actions and are not clickable.

Each suggested action within the “Conversation” Stepper includes a kebab menu with the following options: Move Up, Move Down, and Delete.

• Move Up: Allows you to move the corresponding suggested action higher in the order within the suggested actions section.

• Move Down: Allows you to move the corresponding suggested action lower in the order within the suggested actions section.

• Delete: Allows you to remove the corresponding suggested action from the message entirely.

You can delete an entire suggested action layout within the “Conversation” stepper when it is no longer needed.

A confirmation message appears. Select YES, DELETE IT to confirm deleting the suggested action. Once confirmed, the suggested action will be permanently deleted. Select CANCEL to close the confirmation modal without deleting the suggested action.

You can add up to 11 suggested actions, including repeating action types. This gives you greater flexibility when configuring your RCS messages and allows for more customized and interactive experiences. If you try to add more than 11 suggested actions, a validation message appears: You have reached the maximum limit of 11 suggested actions.

Adding Suggested Replies to an RCS Message

You can add pre-defined suggested replies to your RCS messages to help build a conversation flow with your recipients and enhance interactivity. You can add replies directly in the “Conversation” Stepper when setting up an RCS message You can preview the suggested replies in the mobile message preview before sending.

Follow these steps to include suggested replies in your RCS message:

1. Go to Text Messaging.

2. Select Broadcasts.

3. Click + NEW BROADCAST to create a new broadcast message.

4. Proceed to the “Conversation” stepper.

5. Select the Send as RCS message option.

6. Within the message container, click on the kebab menu (three vertical dots).

7. Select Add Rich Content from the kebab menu.

This opens the Rich Content modal.

8. In the Rich Content modal, select Suggested Replies from the available options. You can select only one option.

Select CANCEL to close the Rich Content modal without saving any changes. Select CONFIRM to proceed to the next step. When you select the Suggested Replies option from the Rich Content modal, the suggested replies layout appears expanded by default. Each layout includes an expand/collapse button on the left side of the title.

Clicking the Collapse icon minimizes the layout while keeping the title and button visible, and clicking expand restores it. It remembers your last expand/collapse state as you move across sections in the broadcast flow. If you add more suggested replies or re-add the section, they also appear expanded by default.

Note: You can add up to 11 suggested replies.

Open the Kebab menu in the “Suggested Reply” layout. From the kebab menu, select Add Suggested Response to add a suggested response, allowing you to easily include multiple replies.

Note: You can enter up to 25 characters in the Suggestion field, which displays as the title of the suggestion.

You can add up to 5 suggested responses per suggested reply. Once you reach the limit, the Add Suggested Response button becomes inactive, and the following message appears: “Responses limit reached: can only add 5 responses.”

If five responses already exist in a suggested reply layout, the “Add Suggested Response” option in the kebab menu becomes disabled. Hovering over the disabled option displays a tooltip with the message “Limit responses reached.”

You can add a suggested reply to any suggested response to build a structured reply flow. Open the Kebab menu next to a Suggested Response and select Add Suggested Reply. The new reply appears expanded by default, includes a preview of the parent message, and lets you enter your content in the input field below.

You can only add a maximum of 5 suggested replies per level. If you reach the limit, the Add Suggested Reply option becomes disabled and shows a tooltip: “Maximum replies reached.”

The following message appears: “Reply limit reached: cannot add more replies.”

Note: Suggested reply depth cannot exceed 3 levels. When the maximum limit is reached, hovering over the disabled “Add Suggested Reply” option in the kebab menu displays a tooltip: “Suggested reply depth cannot exceed 3 levels”.

Actions in Suggested Replies and Suggested Responses

You can enrich your Suggested Replies and Suggested Responses using new built-in action tools like Dynamic Tags, Insert Link, and Insert Emoji, directly from the message container.

Each Suggested Reply and Suggested Response includes a message container where you can enter text. Inside the container, you see three clickable icons:

• Dynamic Tags : Insert personalized tags.

• Insert Link : Add clickable URLs.

• Insert Emoji : Enhance tone with emojis. You can also use the search bar in the emoji picker to quickly find the emoji you need, making it easier to browse and insert emojis within the editor. Click the selected emoji to attach an emoji to the message.

  

Clicking the respective icon adds the content directly into the message body. To know more about these actions, see adding a new broadcast message.

Fallback Stepper in RCS Broadcasts

The “Fallback” stepper feature in RCS Broadcasts, allows you to manage how messages are sent if RCS is not supported. It helps you ensure your messages are delivered by automatically creating a fallback message (either SMS or MMS) if the recipient's device does not support RCS.

When you use this feature, it analyzes your RCS message content to determine the optimal fallback type, either SMS or MMS. If your message is simple text, it automatically creates an SMS fallback. You don't need to manually create these basic fallbacks.

The character count displays for the custom SMS fallback text, starting at 160 characters. The character count updates in real-time as you type or modify the message and reflects the number of remaining characters based on the maximum allowed message length.

The “Fallback” stepper maintains relationships between your original RCS message and its fallback messages. This means you can always see which fallback belongs to which RCS message.

After a fallback is auto generated, you can customize it. This allows you to tailor the fallback message to your specific needs.

Note: When you access your message list, it does not display fallback messages by default. This keeps your main message list clean and focused on primary messages.

Navigating to the Fallback Stepper

To access the “Fallback” stepper, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Text Messaging.

2. Select Broadcasts.

3. Click the + NEW BROADCAST button.

4. Proceed to the “Conversation” stepper.

5. Choose Send as RCS as the message function.

6. You will then proceed to the “Fallback” stepper.

To reset a fallback message to its original version, use the Reset icon available on each fallback message container.

When you click the Reset icon, a confirmation modal appears “Are you sure you want to reset?” Click YES, RESET IT to restore the fallback message to its original version. Click CANCEL to close the modal without making any changes.

When you clone an RCS broadcast, the fallback message is also cloned automatically. This ensures that your duplicated broadcast includes both the rich RCS content and the SMS/MMS fallback message, so you don’t need to recreate either part manually. You can edit both the RCS and fallback content after cloning, if needed.

Sending Test for Suggested Replies and Suggested Actions

You can use the “Send Test” feature to test how Suggested Replies and Suggested Actions appear in your RCS message — exactly as they behave in the live message.

Mobile Preview for Suggested Replies

When you add a suggested reply to a suggested response in an RCS message, the mobile preview updates instantly to reflect the changes, helping you verify placement and appearance in real time.

The mobile preview immediately displays any new suggested reply added under a suggested response. Any edits or deletions made to a suggested reply are instantly reflected in the preview without needing to refresh or save.

Deleting Suggested Reply and Suggested Response

Delete a Suggested Reply: When you delete a Suggested Reply, the Mobile Preview updates instantly. If the reply is the only one in the message, the entire message bubble disappears. If the reply is one of multiple, only that specific reply is removed, the rest remains intact. This real-time update helps ensure your preview always reflects the latest message structure.

To delete a suggested reply, click the Kebab menu (three dots). This opens the Kebab menu, select the Delete option below “Add Suggested Response.”

Clicking Delete opens a confirmation modal.

Select YES, DELETE IT to removes the associated responses. Select CANCEL to close the modal without deleting.

Note: If you delete the suggested replies layout using the Delete icon, all the associated responses and nested replies will be deleted.

To delete a suggested reply layout (suggested reply 1) click the Kebab menu (three dots). This opens the Kebab menu, select the Delete option below “Add Suggested Response.”

Clicking Delete opens a confirmation modal. Select YES, DELETE IT to remove the associated responses and nested replies. Select CANCEL to close the modal without deleting.

Delete a Suggested Response: When you delete a Suggested Response, the Mobile Preview updates instantly to reflect the change. If the deleted response was part of a Suggested Reply structure, only the response is removed, and the reply remains intact. The chat bubble in the mobile preview adjusts in real-time, giving you immediate visual feedback.

You can also delete a Suggested Response along with all its associated Suggested Replies using a simple action menu, making it easier to update or clean up your RCS messages.

To delete a suggested response, click the Kebab menu (three dots). This opens the Kebab menu, select the Delete option below “Add Suggested Reply.”

Clicking Delete opens a confirmation modal.

Select YES, DELETE IT to permanently removes the response and replies. Select CANCEL to close the modal without deleting.

Note: If only one Suggested Response exists (default layout), the Delete button is disabled. Once you add another Suggested Response, the Delete button becomes active.

Review Stepper in an RCS broadcast

In the “Review” stepper of an RCS broadcast, you can preview both the RCS and fallback messages.

The mobile preview defaults to "Preview - RCS", with an accordion icon next to the title.

Clicking it switches the view to "Preview - Fallback", and shows your fallback message along with a tooltip: “This is a preview of your RCS fallback message.”

Click the EDIT button to quickly return to the respective stepper to make changes.

The Broadcast “Conversation” screen provides a mobile preview of how your messages appear to end users in an RCS. You can toggle between RCS and Fallback views to see how the same message would display for RCS or Fallback.

 

 

Note: When you clone a broadcast, the fallback message is also created for the cloned broadcast. If you customized a fallback message for the original broadcast, the customizations will not automatically reflect in the cloned fallback message. The cloned fallback message will be the same as the cloning message's fallback (body, attachment, template, and others).

RCS Agents Management

As an admin, you can view the RCS agent's appearance on a device, including all the branding and associated details. Go to Text Messaging > RCS Agents Management.

The following information is available for an agent:

• Brand Name: The name of the brand.

• Agent Name: The name of the agent.

• Agent ID: The unique identifier assigned to the agent.

• Status: The status of the agent – Active or Inactive.

• Shortcode: Displays the shortcode associated with the agent.

• Description: A description of the agent.

• Brand Color: The primary color associated with the brand.

• Hero Image: A featured image used to represent the brand.

• Brand Logo: The logo associated with the brand.

• Phone Number: The contact phone number for the brand.

• Email Address: The contact email for the brand.

• Website: The official website of the brand.

• Privacy Policy URL: The link to the brand's privacy policy.

• Terms of Service URL: The link to the brand's terms of service.

To use rich card feature in an RCS broadcast, refer to Using the Rich Card feature in an RCS broadcast.

To use carousel feature in an RCS broadcast, refer to Using the Carousel feature in an RCS Broadcast.