Like most user experiences, RCS takes on a different look and feel whether you're an iOS or an Android user. Read this quick article to not only see a side-by-side breakdown of how it comes to life in both instances, but to also gain some tips and best practices for optimizing your RCS campaigns across both operating systems based on what the data is telling us from our enterprise customers who are already live with - and loving - RCS.
RCS Best Practices & Recommendations
Continue including hyperlinks.
From the highly-sophisticated rich media messages to RCS text-only messages, i.e. an upgrade of your SMS messages to benefit from having a branded RCS agent, anything new takes time to get used to. This is likely why we've seen RCS messages that included a hyperlink - either instead of a URL Suggested Action button or in addition to a button - perform the best so far, driving up to 2x more revenue/message compared to SMS.
This is why we recommend continuing to include a hyperlink, offering your customers a blend of familiar hyperlinks they've come to expect from SMS with the new features of RCS.
Add emojis, ALL CAPS or longer CTAs to Suggested Action buttons.
To help speed up RCS adoption with your customers, adding eye-catching visuals or longer calls-to-action (up to 25 characters of text) will draw attention towards - and engagement with - the buttons.
Keep rich card descriptions brief.
While a great feature of rich cards is the ability to include descriptive text along with your visuals, this doesn't mean it's time to write a mini novella. RCS rich cards allow for descriptions that fit within 3 lines of text, and to avoid the dreaded ellipses that signals the rest of your message has been cut off, stick to ~115 characters max.
Specifically for iOS users, Vibes recommends including the most relevant information within the first 100 characters of the description since the full message may be truncated based on device type, font size or other variable factors.
Other specific tips for optimizing the iOS user experience.
Since Apple still reigns as the leader in the US, here are a couple more expert tips for optimizing RCS for your iOS customers.
1. include a title to show a message preview. If you choose not to include a title (also referred to as a 'subject'), the message preview will default to text that alerts the user they have one new message. The inability to preview the content of a message increases the risk of the user not opening or engaging with your message at all.
2. Prioritize one Suggested Action button. Since Suggested Actions appear in a dropdown menu within the iOS rich card itself, if you include more than one Suggested Action in your rich card, the dropdown box with read "Options", requiring the user to click on it to see the suggested call-to-action buttons. By including only one Suggested Action per rich card, it eliminates that extra click in order for your customers to see what action to take next.
RCS on iOS vs. Android: The Bottom Line
These learnings are already influencing how our customers approach their future campaigns, and there's still so much more we'll learn. That's why finding a partner like Vibes is essential for launching a new channel like RCS. Every one of our customers are paired with a dedicated mobile messaging expert who’s seen it all. From campaign strategy to more RCS best practices, our team is here to guide them, optimize their messaging, and help them make the most of this powerful new channel. Are you ready? Then let's talk!
