Comviva NewsLetter The Futurist - September Edition, 2019 | Page 9

9
DIGITAL DISRUPTION
SEPTEMBER 2019
Why SMS is still in the running
SMS have been
around for over
30 years Approximate number
of SMS sent every
day – 22 billion
Number of people
responding to SMS –
One third SMS’ are
responded to SMS have noticeably
higher open rate than
email 90% vs 25%
However SMS hasn’t evolved at all to keep
up with changing customer expectations and
business marketing needs. Why? Simply put,
because messages are still text-based.
It would be a bit of an understatement to say
that consumers today are empowered, not to
mention digital natives. Naturally then, they
require (and are seeking) a plethora of
content and targeted marketing messages,
on their terms, of course. It doesn’t end there-
the content has to be tailored to suit their
requirements, in a convenient way, needless
to say. Therefore, applications like WhatsApp,
Facebook Messenger, iMessage, WeChat,
Slack, Skype, Viber, Android Messages, et
all, fill that gap with an experience that builds
on SMS. They assist in sending the right
message, at the right time, employing the right
media that is relevant, visually appealing and
engaging content. It’s no wonder that these
feature-rich applications have taken off.
This is where Rich Communication Services
(RCS) comes in. It enables text messaging to
be as engaging as WeChat, WhatsApp, et all.
Not just that, it provides “reach” worthy of
SMS and MMS. The result-a plethora of
opportunities to seamlessly engage with
customers! Rich features like photo and video
sharing, map directions, location sharing,
among others is perfect for businesses looking
to engage with consumers in increasingly
’sticky’ ways.
As a quick reckoner, RCS is a next-generation
SMS protocol being championed by industry
heavyweights such as the GSMA, Google
and Android, Samsung, and their ilk. And for
businesses, the recently released RCS
Business Messaging opens even more doors
for customer engagement, marketing, and sales.