SMS – SMS or Short Message Service, also known as “texting,” is a common service used to transmit short messages from a mobile device to another. It does not require the receiver mobile device to be active and in range of the sender mobile device. The message will be held for several days until the device is active and within range. SMS are sent over cellular networks using mobile data to any device which is capable to receive an SMS.

Businesses can use SMS to communicate with their customers. They can send authentication messages, updates, and promotional offers through SMS. For example, many logistics companies like DTDC, Bluedart and FedEx use SMS to provide customers with updates on their deliveries like pickup, dispatch, delivered etc. It is also used by many banks to provide their customers with OTPs for authentication and debit/credit updates of the customer’s bank account.

WhatsApp Business API – WhatsApp is a very popular messaging platform for people to communicate with each other. WhatsApp has developed a Business App and its own WhatsApp business API. The business app is mostly for small scale businesses and has less functionality compared to the API.

The WhatsApp Business API lets business, usually medium to large scale,
communicate with their users on the WhatsApp platform. It allows businesses to send automated messages to their customers about various things like order confirmation, delivery updates etc. It also allows businesses to create their own chatbots, send personalized messages to customers and media sharing. The WhatsApp business API is a powerful tool which businesses can leverage to enhance customer experience and grow their business.

For example, Amazon sends their customer’s OTPs for authentication and their delivery updates through WhatsApp using the WhatsApp business API. Other businesses like Swiggy and Zomato send their promotional messages and offers to their users using WhatsApp.

RCS – Rich Communication Service or RCS is a communication protocol that is aiming to replace SMS by allowing users to communicate using richer text messages with multimedia capabilities. It allows the users to communicate using high resolution images and videos with larger files going up to 10 mb in size. RCS also allows the user to send higher text limit messages than SMS. It provides better security, allows for group chats and cross app connectivity.

Businesses can leverage RCS for communicating with their customers. They can use it to send interactive and creative promotional messages which will result in higher engagement than before. Since there is no need to download any other software or app to use RCS so the messages from the businesses can go directly to the preferred messaging app. It gives the power to businesses to provide real time updates to their users and promote their business through messaging.