Many do not know it, but in a more or less silent way Google has been preparing its own instant messaging application with which to compete with WhatsApp. The truth is that the tool is already very fine-tuned and the sector warns that it will soon be in more phones than WhatsApp.
Is called RCS (Rich Communication Service, Rich Communication Service in Spanish) and basically it is a traditional messaging system like the SMS (Short Message Service, Short Message Service in Spanish), but equipped to offer practically the same thing, but in a different format, than WhatsApp.
Google launched it in 2008 and it became a standard for the GSMA (the association that brings together the world’s main operators and the largest technology companies) in 2018. That is, it is compatible and supported by the majority of telecoms throughout the world. planet, and is by default integrated into the software of all mobile phones with the Android operating system.
In 2023 Apple went through the hoops and announced that it would support the standard, which was a reality in the middle of last September. Your users can now communicate with RCS from iOS devices. However, the final step to compete with WhatsApp will occur soon. RCS will soon allow companies communicate with users. Something in which the application of Mark Zuckerberg -WhatsApp- limps. It does not have a well-developed ecosystem for corporations to use the potential of WhatsApp to make the app their showcase, another online store.
How do you want to surpass WhatsApp?
The question that many will be asking is how an app that has recently arrived to the general public is going to unseat the almighty WhatsApp. There are several factors that, according to sector sources, will make this surprise possible. The first of them is ubiquity. RCS is already installed by default on all phones in the world. You do not have to download the application from any app store.
The second and most important is the push of companies. This system is the most interesting for those brands that want sell your products and services through instant messaging. It is both because of its interface and its interaction possibilities, but also because of its price.
In the case of WhatsApp, the messages sent from companies to users have a cost that varies depending on different variables (we tell you about it here), but initially and in general terms it is more expensive than RCS.
Plusmo is one of the main mobile integrators in Latin America, with direct connections with multiple cellular operators in the region and focused on offering companies services to market their products and services through instant messaging systems and other technological platforms. Annually it sends more than 400 million messages, which gives an idea of the size not only of the company, but of the business that exists in this sector.
Its general director, Gabriel Chapt, assures that “the advantages of RCS are its price regarding WhatsApp for companies and which is a standard included in all mobile phones. If, as is said in the sector, companies will be able to start interacting with the user before the end of the year, before 2025 there will be 2.8 billion RCS users, compared to the 2.7 billion that WhatsApp has.”
Furthermore, this company explains that RCS revolutionizes traditional messaging by incorporating brand identification for the issuing company and interactive multimedia elements such as clickable buttons, image carousels, quick response options, which help capture attention and interaction.
Finally, Plusmo points out that “RCS offers more dynamic and personalized ways of sending messages compared to Traditional SMS. They are SMS enriched with text, images and guided responses that generate a visually attractive and intuitive interaction. It does not require the user to download any additional application, it is installed by default on the device. The same inbox as SMS is used.”
Add Comment