How to Send Bulk RCS Messages in 2025: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you have been keeping up with the latest trends in the communication industry, then you might be aware of RCS, and how it is slowly becoming a go-to platform for brands around the world, particularly in Europe and the USA ( RCS penetration in the Middle East and Asian markets is picking up pace.) 

Packed with feature-rich messaging capabilities, RCS is transforming how businesses interact with customers, setting new standards for business communication on mobile devices. 

With its growing popularity along with increased adoption rates, there is a need for you to understand how RCS can be used to connect with your audience at scale. 

For that reason, in this guide, I will break down the steps to send bulk RCS messages, the advantages offered by RCS, and some best practices to ensure you leverage this technology to its full potential. So, without further ado, let’s jump into it!

What is bulk RCS messaging?

If you are not yet familiar with RCS, then worry not as it is not a complicated technology. RCS messaging is the better, more powerful version of SMS. It works exactly the same as text messaging but comes with rich communication features. For instance: 

• Rich media support: You can share HQ images, videos, GIFs, and audio files directly with your audience to create a more engaging customer experience.
• Branded messaging: With RCS, you can showcase your messaging with your brand’s logo, color themes, and brand elements to enhance recognition and establish credibility.
• Interactive buttons: Include quick action buttons for links, replies, or payment confirmations to streamline customer journeys and drive sales.
• Two-way communication: RCS lets you create conversational experiences with your customers in real time, allowing you to resolve issues or provide support instantly.

These features of RCS, make it a future-oriented communication channel for your business, helping you make the most of your RCS marketing strategies. 

Due to its ability to combine multimedia content with live interactions, you can ensure that your messages stand out in crowded inboxes, letting you build solid connections with your audience more effectively.

Why should you use bulk RCS messages?

RCS is rapidly becoming the preferred choice of businesses to send outreach messages at scale due to its ability to send highly interactive messages. That being said, below are some of the benefits of sending bulk RCS messages:

Enhanced engagement

Messages with images, videos, and interactive buttons significantly improve customer response rates compared to plain text. RCS offering these dynamic and impactful features makes it better than SMS and on equal footing with external communication apps like WhatsApp or Messenger.

By pairing those features with interactive elements such as buttons, carousels, and suggestive replies, you can further improve the effectiveness of your RCS messages, thereby leading to better conversion rates. 

Real-time communication

RCS supports live updates and back-and-forth interactions, making it ideal for customer service, time-sensitive alerts, and personalized communication that feels more authentic. 

Comparing this to SMS, where you have to craft a separate message for each conversation, RCS allows for a conversational interface, making the engagement more streamlined. 

In addition to that, RCS can be used for internal communication. By creating a group chat including all of your team members, you can keep them on the same page. 

Secured messaging

SMS messages can easily be interrupted during the transmission or be used as a means to send fraudulent messages to grab customer information. 

However, with RCS, you don’t have to care about such things. Being a futuristic communication channel, RCS requires you to verify your business before sending out bulk messages. Additionally, RCS is an end-to-end encrypted platform, meaning you can send transactional and OTP messages without your customers worrying about the safety of their information. 

Comprehensive metrics

RCS is a rich messaging platform. This means you can track numerous analytical metrics such as delivery, open, read, and user engagement rates to help you improve your campaigns. 

Similar to WhatsApp analytics, you can gain in-depth insights from how your audience interacts with your messages to continuously refine your approach based on actionable data and not guesswork.

Better ROI 

While slightly more expensive than traditional SMS, the higher engagement and conversion rates of RCS ensure a better return on investment, making it a valuable tool for you no matter which industry you operate within.

For example, brands working in retail, e-commerce, healthcare, hospitality, and travel can particularly utilize RCS to create meaningful relationships with their audiences, providing value while enhancing customer loyalty.

Step-by-step guide to sending bulk RCS messages

Bulk messaging lets you reach out to multiple contacts at the same time to market your products or services and drive the bottom line. Having said that, before you can start running bulk RCS messaging campaigns, you need to get an RCS provider, register your business, and then you can kickstart your outreach. 

Sounds like too much work? No worries! Below is the step-by-step guide to help you get started effortlessly.  

Choose an RCS messaging platform

In order to send RCS messages at scale, you need an RCS service provider. It is this platform that serves as a mediator between you and the network provider to deliver your messages to your audience.

There are numerous RCS providers available in the market to choose from like Sinch, Infobip, and Twilio, to name a few. However, each platform has a different onboarding process and varies in the functionalities they offer. 

So, for the sake of simplicity, I will tell you how to get started with sending bulk RCS messages using one of the futuristic, multichannel solutions to elevate your outreach strategies to the next level — Zixflow!

Zixflow is an omnichannel communication platform, offering a seamless RCS Business Messaging platform with advanced automation and scalability to match the speed at which your business grows.

Not only that. Zixflow is a complete engagement and customer relationship suite that comes with an in-built CDP (Customer Data Platform) to manage data, segment it into smaller marketing lists, and run list-wide operations like bulk messaging for effective communication. 

Furthermore, with the intuitive design of Zixflow along with a code-free environment, you are able to set up and run bulk messaging initiatives. The simplified nature of Zixflow makes it super easy to use, saving you time to learn how to navigate the platform and get on with your strategy from day one. 

That said, no matter the platform you end up choosing, it’s critical to ensure that it supports the latest RCS features, allowing you to make the most of this technology. 

Verify your business profile

The next step after selecting a provider, is to register your business with a network provider and create a business profile. Your provider will help you onboard with RCS by collecting the required business information and forwarding it to the network carrier. 

The necessary business details might vary depending on the country and provider, in most cases, it includes name, brand logo, cover image, description, and contact information. Once you submit this data, your request will be sent for approval. 

After successful approval, your verified business sender ID will be created which will display your company’s name and logo on the messaging thread. 

Create an RCS template

Now that you have a business profile ready to go, the only thing remaining is a template. If you have run a WhatsApp marketing campaign, then you might know that you cannot send direct messages to customers. You need a pre-approved messaging template to engage with the audience. The same is the case with RCS. 

So, to design an RCS message template, you have to use a template editor. Commonly, the RCS provider comes with a template builder to craft custom messages for multiple situations.

This is why, Zixflow comes with a message template editor to let you build RCS messages as per your needs. These templates are divided into three categories:

• Basic text
• Rich card 
• Carousel

Basic text, as the name suggests, consists of text content, and if you limit characters to 160, then this message will fall under the SMS pricing. On the other hand, rich card and carousel messages contain visuals, interactive buttons, and suggestive replies, making them suitable for enhanced communication.

You can design multiple templates and save them in the system to use them quickly in the future. 

Import your contact data

Lastly, you will need to import your contacts’ details where the messages will be sent. Same as sending the SMS, RCS messages are sent using the phone number. 

If you are using Zixflow, you have the option to either:

• Add this data to the CRM and then select if when sending messages.
• Simply copy and paste the number into the builder.
• Upload a file containing the list of phone numbers you want to reach out to.

Once you have uploaded the required information to the software, you can connect to all of these contacts at once. Below is a video to guide you through all the steps of running RCS campaigns via Zixflow:

Monitor & optimize

Monitoring the effectiveness of your messages and looking for areas of improvement is also crucial to drive results consistently. By leveraging the analytical dashboard provided by your RCS platform, you can keep track of key metrics like delivery, read, engagement, and conversion rates. 

The insights you gain from going through this data will help you refine future campaigns and bring more sales. For example, you can do A/B testing to identify which message formats and CTA combinations are working the best. 

Additionally, by identifying a trend in the open and read rates, you can discover the perfect time to send messages to optimize customer engagement for maximum sales.

Best practices for sending RCS messages at scale

Now that you know the steps involved in sending out bulk RCS messages, here are a few best practices to help you boost the effectiveness of your efforts:

Keep it personalized: Use the recipient’s name and tailor content based on their preferences or purchase history. Personalization builds stronger connections and improves engagement rates.

Focus on value: Ensure every message delivers value to your audience. Whether it's a discount, helpful reminder, or entertaining content, relevance is key to maintaining interest.

Avoid spamming: Send messages at appropriate intervals to avoid overwhelming your audience. Excessive messaging can lead to opt-outs and harm your brand reputation.

Follow regulations: Comply with international laws such as GDPR, CCPA, and other local data protection regulations. Always obtain user consent before messaging to build trust and avoid penalties.

Experiment with features: RCS is still a relatively new technology. So, explore the full potential of RCS by incorporating carousels, QR codes, and feedback forms. These features can make your campaigns more dynamic and interactive.

These are some of the common, industry-wide best practices to enhance customer satisfaction and build a strong brand image. By considering these points, you can ensure long-term success in your communication activities. 

Ready to connect with customers at scale with RCS bulk messaging?

RCS messaging is revolutionizing mobile communication, making it easier than ever to connect with customers on a large scale. With its advanced interactive features and rich messaging capabilities, it is ready to challenge third-party communication channels like WhatsApp. 

The fact that Apple also started supporting RCS in its iOS 18 launch is proof that RCS is destined to become the channel of the future. 

So, by following the steps in this guide, you can create impactful campaigns that boost engagement, drive conversions, and strengthen customer relationships.

Start leveraging RCS today and stay ahead of your competition. If you need further help to jumpstart your RCS outreach, you can talk to our sales team to figure out how you can adopt RCS into your marketing or communication strategy.

RCS is the future of customer communication—don’t get left behind!