Apple’s announcement of RCS support is great news for the enterprise and even better news for MNOs

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Summary

After years of regulatory and competitor outcry, Apple recently announced to 9to5mac that it will soon adopt the Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging standard.

A huge step in the right direction for native mobile collaboration

This is a significant moment for mobile communication and collaboration. RCS is a modern messaging standard similar to iMessage but for non-iOS-based platforms. It’s an improvement over the SMS standard that has dominated for years, providing a better experience and richer extensibility options. Apple’s support of RCS will be alongside its ongoing development and investment in iMessage. You might wonder why this matters, especially if you already use iMessage or RCS. The problem is that there is no integration between the two standards. This is particularly important because many businesses use both Apple and Android devices. RCS will enrich communication and collaboration via the native messaging capability on mobile devices and, importantly, add end-to-end encryption. Consequently, in the near future, employees will be able to interact with colleagues and customers using native messaging capabilities without having to use a third-party app. This will also enable software vendors and developers to provide much richer integration between business apps and employee collaboration workflows, making communication secure, easier, and more efficient.

Evolving and securing enterprise mobile messaging and communication is vital in enhancing security and regulation

Over recent years, many employees have gravitated toward using social platforms such as WhatsApp for work communications. One of the reasons behind this shift is the limited functionality of native messaging solutions. However, this trend can pose serious security risks, particularly in heavily regulated industries such as finance and healthcare. This activity is not only a security concern: there are significant financial penalties that businesses can also face. For example, earlier in the year the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) imposed fines totaling more than $500m on a group of Wall Street banks for work communications that took place over unsanctioned messaging services including WhatsApp. The move to native mobile solutions that deliver the experience employees want but balanced with the appropriate security and governance controls is vital as work styles become more hybrid and mobile first.

Enabling business workflows to be accessed through a native mobile messaging platform can provide several benefits. For example, it can enhance the messaging experience by offering features such as predefined quick-reply suggestions and rich card carousels including text, images, and buttons. Moreover, it can also enhance security and create new monetization opportunities for MNOs to shift the threat of over-the-top (OTT) providers back to native mobile messaging solutions. There is a huge potential in improving the customer care experience and business operations such as IT support. By using a native messaging solution such as RCS, businesses can not only increase engagement and communication but also improve user experiences by enabling direct interaction with business systems via messaging. This means that people no longer have to switch between multiple systems to complete their tasks, as the relevant workflow can be accessed and completed.

Appendix

Chance Miller, “Apple announces that RCS support is coming to iPhone next year” 9to5mac (retrieved November 17, 2023)

Joseph Wilkins, “A group of Wall Street banks have been fined $549 million for using WhatsApp and other messaging apps to discuss business” Business Insider (retrieved November 17, 2023)

Author

Adam Holtby, Principal Analyst, Workplace Transformation

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