What is RCS?
Reach 100% of your mobile base with rich, conversational, branded messages right in your customers' Messages app.
What you get with RCS:
Your brand name, logo and verified profile shown with every message
Rich media: images, videos, GIFs, PDFs, carousels
Call-to-action buttons (CTAs) and interactive quick replies
Native conversations, just like on WhatsApp
Open rates that can exceed 90%
Click rates between 10% and 20% depending on the campaign
⚠️ About read rates: unlike WhatsApp, read receipts aren't enabled by default on RCS. Don't measure your performance by read rate. Track click rate and conversion rate: they are the reliable KPIs on this channel.
Good news: your existing SMS opt-ins are directly eligible for RCS.
Why activate RCS, and when?
1. Fallback: cover 100% of your mobile base
Combine WhatsApp with an RCS fallback so you never miss a contact. Your WhatsApp automations (abandoned cart, upsell, reactivation) don't reach contacts who don't have WhatsApp (about 15–20% of your base). Add an RCS node at the end of your flows: if the WhatsApp message can't be delivered, RCS takes over automatically.
2. Engage your cold audiences
Target a wider audience, with a more flexible quality score. Browse abandonment, reactivation, failed payment recovery… these use cases are too risky on WhatsApp. With RCS, you can go after top-of-funnel segments without putting your existing flows at risk.
3. More channels, more reach
Strategy, segments, budget: you choose the best channel. With WhatsApp + RCS + SMS on one platform, you orchestrate every send based on your audience and goals, without switching tools.
How to activate your RCS agent
What WAX handles for you
WAX takes care of the entire activation: approval with the carriers, technical setup and launch of your agent.
⚠️ Good to know before activating:
WAX runs 1 RCS agent per account
An RCS agent can only send messages in one country
RCS isn't available yet in Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg: in these countries, SMS takes over automatically
What you need to provide
Fill in the activation form in your WAX account with:
Your brand name
Your logo
A short description
Your contact details: last name, first name and email
Activation time
Allow 10 days for your agent to be approved and live with all carriers in France. For other countries, it can take up to 1 month.
The 3 RCS message formats
RCS Basic
A short message with a link: the equivalent of a rich, branded SMS. Ideal for simple notifications, order confirmations and reminders.
RCS Non-conversational
The customer clicks an external link without interacting with the flow. Perfect for one-shot campaigns where you want to drive traffic to your website without starting a conversation. You can choose to use only this format in a flow.
RCS Conversational
The customer clicks a button that triggers another message, or replies directly in the conversation. Use it for interactive flows, qualification, support or upsell.
Free 24-hour window: if the contact starts the conversation, replies are free for 24 hours, just like on WhatsApp.
How do I activate my RCS fallback?
Your WhatsApp flows don't reach contacts without WhatsApp, about 15–20% of your base. By adding an RCS node at the end of each flow, you automatically cover these contacts. If the RCS message isn't received either, SMS takes over so you reach 100% of your base.
Setup is almost instant: WAX has a duplicate feature that turns a template block into an RCS or SMS block in one click. Click the three dots on your block to access it.
How do I create an RCS campaign?
Some use cases are too risky on WhatsApp because of the quality score: browse abandonment, cold audience reactivation, failed payment recovery… RCS lets you address them without putting your live WhatsApp flows at risk, by targeting wider and colder audiences.
Real examples from WAX customers:
Failed payment recovery (expired virtual card)
Cold audience reactivation (contacts inactive for 90+ days)
Browse abandonment on top-of-funnel segments
RCS is built right into your flow builder, alongside WhatsApp and SMS. To create your first RCS message:
Open your flow builder
Add an RCS node to your flow
Write your message (text, media, buttons)
Connect it to the rest of your flow
How do I create a WhatsApp vs RCS A/B test?
WAX has a native A/B test built into the flow builder. You can test:
WhatsApp vs RCS on the same segment
Two different RCS or SMS messages (wording, visuals, CTA)
Different send times
How to set up an A/B test:
Add an A/B Testing node to your flow
Set the split (e.g. 50% WhatsApp / 50% RCS)
Compare click and conversion rates by channel in your analytics
FAQ
A customer replies to an RCS message. Do I see it in WAX?
Yes. RCS replies land in your WAX inbox, exactly like WhatsApp replies. They're also visible in Gorgias, Zendesk and Crisp if your helpdesk is connected to WAX.
Do my customers' RCS replies show up in my support tool (Gorgias, Zendesk, Crisp…)?
Yes. RCS replies show up in your support tool exactly like WhatsApp replies, with no extra setup.
Will WAX AI automatically answer my customers' questions on RCS and SMS?
Yes. WAX AI works on RCS and SMS exactly as it does on WhatsApp, handling your customers' incoming replies the same way.
I have customers in Belgium. Can I still use the module?
Yes, via SMS (available everywhere). RCS isn't available yet in Belgium because Orange hasn't rolled out the technology.
Do I need to collect opt-ins again?
No. Your existing SMS opt-ins are directly eligible for RCS.
How do I measure my RCS performance?
Track delivered, click rate and conversion rate. Read receipts aren't enabled by default on RCS.
How much does the module cost?
The SMS + RCS module is available at €200/month (beta price, locked for life for beta members). The standard price is €400/month.
Have a question? Contact your CSM or message us directly from the WAX chat.