We are living in a world where mobile messaging has become the key to a great customer service experience across industries. The pandemic has shifted how both consumers and businesses view the messaging channel, propelling it into a new realm. 

Is RCS really a richer experience than SMS? If so, what makes it “richer”? For starters, Rich Communication Services (RCS) is the functional foundation for a new messaging platform to be built upon, and this platform enhances just about every component of simple Short Message Services (SMS). 

The CCA’s recent Mobile Carriers Show brought together regional and rural carriers from across the U.S. to discuss the challenges impacting their businesses and discover new ways to create value for their brands. A key highlight of the show was the “Pitch Perfect Keynote Lunch” that challenged six companies to pitch their best revenue generating solutions for carriers, in six minutes or less.

The days of delighting subscribers with standard voice and messaging are gone. Today, smartphone adoption and the technology advancements that have succeeded it have created new competitors, increased consumer demand and disrupted traditional business models 

Through sophisticated application programming interfaces (API’s), Messaging-as-a-Platform (MaaP) is changing how businesses interact with consumers via messaging. The change is timely. As we approach 2020, consumer expectations are increasingly centered on the flexibility and immediacy of voice/text “intelligent assistance.”  This is now the era of AI-powered chatbot messaging, accessible via a mobile device at any time, place, and occasion of one's choosing.