RCS is the modern standard for mobile messaging. An upgrade to standard text messaging that works through the internet is built directly into the standard messaging app on modern smartphones.
What is RCS, and how does it affect Patient Messaging?
RCS is the modern standard for mobile messaging. Think of it as an upgrade to standard text messaging that works through the internet (like WhatsApp or iMessage), but is built directly into the standard messaging app on modern smartphones.
We continually work to enhance the reliability and security of your patient communication while managing practice costs. As part of this effort, we are beginning to use a newer technology called RCS (Rich Communication Services) to send messages to your patients, replacing the traditional SMS protocol.
This change occurs entirely behind the scenes, and your experience sending messages in our software will remain unchanged.
Reasons for change:
It's the Next Generation of SMS: While SMS is a very basic protocol for sending text only, RCS is a richer, more powerful standard.
No Change to Your Current Workflow: When you send a message to a patient through our software, we handle the transmission. For now, we are using text-only RCS - meaning the message content is the exact simple text that SMS delivers. Your process for sending messages will not change.
Automatic Fallback: If a patient's phone does not support RCS or they cannot receive the RCS message for any other reason (e.g. lack of internet connection), your Gateway Service Provider will automatically fall back to using traditional SMS to ensure the patient still receives the message without issue.
Cost Efficiency: RCS messages are significantly cheaper to send than traditional SMS messages, leading to direct cost savings for your practice on messaging fees.
Improved Reliability: Even at the basic level we currently use, RCS offers enhanced security and improved delivery standards, which help ensure that your critical patient messages are delivered reliably.
đ What happens if a Patient replies to an RCS text?
Since your messages are often sent from a system-generated number, the process for replies remains unchanged, but the patient experience on RCS is slightly different:
RCS Delivery Confirmation: If a patient with an RCS-capable phone replies, their phone may initially show the message as "Delivered." This is due to the nature of the modern RCS protocol, confirming the message was sent to the server.
Immediate Auto-Response: Crucially, our system is configured to send an immediate automated response back to the patient. This response explicitly tells them their message has not been read by a staff member.
Actionable Instruction: The auto-response will direct the patient to contact the practice using a standard method (e.g., by calling the main phone number or using the website) for any urgent matters or to ensure their message is addressed.
Action to Take: Please remind your staff that our patient communication is one-way only and that all patient replies will receive this automated bounce-back, directing them to the main phone line.
What if the patient doesn't have a smartphone?
For non-smartphones or devices that do not support Rich Communication Services (RCS), RCS messages are automatically sent as standard SMS (Short Message Service) or MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) messages. They appear exactly like any other traditional text message on the recipient's basic phone.
Here's how RCS messages will appear if RCS isn't supported:
Plain text: The message will appear as a basic text message, limited by character count (typically 160 characters per message).
No rich media: High-resolution images, videos, or audio messages sent by the original sender will be heavily compressed (as MMS) or not received at all, depending on the recipient phone's capabilities.
No advanced features: The recipient will not see typing indicators, read receipts, or interactive elements (like suggested replies).
Group chats as separate messages: Group conversations may appear as individual, separate messages from each participant, rather than a single continuous chat thread.
Comparing RCS to SMS and MMS
