Drive up ROI and consumer trust with RCS, branded email, and branded calling

Drive up ROI and consumer trust with RCS, branded email, and branded calling

The landscape of customer communications is undergoing a tectonic shift. For the past decade, as interactions with businesses have become more digital, customers have had to deal with unsolicited messages from bad actors that breed mistrust and dilute brand value. Enter Rich Communication Services (RCS), an improved protocol for text messaging that will level up mobile messaging with features that drive engagement and consumer trust. 

With RCS, customers can see the business name and logo that they are receiving a text message from, as well as a verified sender ID badge. It can also support high-quality photos, videos, GIFs, scrollable carousels, quick replies, call-to-action buttons, and more, making RCS chats more ubiquitous and engaging. 

Just as RCS is bringing branded communications to native messaging apps, consumers and businesses are also benefiting from branded WhatsApp profiles, voice calls, and email senders. Since those logos are backed by verification, businesses can boost consumer confidence and trust in their legitimacy, leading to significant ROI. 

A 2024 Twilio-sponsored consumer preferences survey of 3,900 global consumers found that when brands use trusted communication channels: 

• 4 in 10 consumers made a repeat purchase

• 1 in 4 purchased something for the very first time

Become an RCS verified sender to build customer trust and brand recognition

Consumers today are more empowered than ever, and in the battle for their attention, they demand transparency and authenticity from brands above all else.

Our 2024 consumer preferences survey found that: 

• 49% of consumers would trust brands “a lot more” if the business had a logo or check mark within a messaging or social channel—and it was even higher for millennials and Gen Z

• 75% of consumers who received a branded text said it increased their trust in the communication 

RCS is all about upgrading the messaging experience, providing a feature-rich platform that bridges the gap between traditional texting and the interactive communication experienced on OTT messaging platforms like WhatsApp. With the rollout of RCS for Twilio’s Programmable Messaging API, most businesses can configure their RCS brand and sender verification through their console UI. Essentially, customers can start sending trusted communications immediately—without any code changes. 

As support for RCS expands globally by mobile phone carriers, and operating systems like Apple’s iOS as well as Google’s Android, every business can benefit automatically with RCS from Twilio. 

Increase customers’ pick-up rates with branded calling

Four billion—that’s the number of robocalls U.S. consumers receive each month. As a result, consumers often turn to spam-blocking apps or screen every call from unknown numbers. That means critical calls are going unanswered, costing businesses money and preventing consumers from getting the information or support they need. 

The good news is 57% of consumers surveyed by Twilio say their trust in a brand would increase “a lot” more if the brand used a recognizable phone number. With branded calling, consumers are more likely to act on incoming voice calls.

Branded calling, also known as branded caller ID, is forging a new era of customer engagement with brands through voice call technology. It instills consumer confidence in answering calls they can trust with instant brand recognition, without the fear of falling prey to fraud. 

Branded Calling from Twilio puts the name of a business right on the caller ID, so customers immediately know who’s calling and why. It’s a great way to boost customer engagement and showcase a brand, while also assuring customers that the phone call is legitimate.

For a complete trusted calling solution, customers can also take advantage of Twilio Voice Integrity. It ensures your phone numbers aren’t flagged as spam, so customers never wonder if they’re receiving a spam call. When combined with SHAKEN/STIR technology, businesses receive top-level verification so customers can confidently answer calls.

By combining Branded Calling with Voice Integrity and SHAKEN/STIR, brands aren’t just making phone calls, they’re also building trust and improving their chances of connecting with customers.

With this Twilio Voice API upgrade, customers are putting their brand front and center, boosting their reputation while significantly increasing phone call answer rates, making each interaction more impactful and trusted. CareSignal, which allows healthcare providers to send patients text messages and phone calls from the CareSignal platform, improved call pick-up rates by 6-7% for customers in just three months with Twilio Branded Calling.

Improve customer engagement rates and credibility with branded email

According to our 2024 survey, 62% of consumers say they’re very or extremely likely to open an email when it’s confirmed to be from a brand they trust. Additionally, when it comes to email, consumers prefer it for the following:

With Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI), businesses can increase brand recognition by attaching their logo in their emails sent to a customer’s inbox. It also increases engagement with emails by helping them standing out visually in every inbox.

More and more brands are adopting BIMI for their email campaign strategies in order to increase visibility, trust, and brand awareness among current and prospective customers. When customers see an email from a company’s domain—see example below—along with a verified and authenticated BIMI brand logo, it gives them more confidence that it’s actually from that company.

BIMI works hand-in-hand with Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC), which is a protocol to verify an email’s integrity and authenticity. Implementing BIMI requires a strong DMARC policy, which can improve overall email deliverability by signaling to email providers that the domain is well-protected against spoofing.

As best practices and standards for trusted communications in email evolve, BIMI and DMARC gives brands an opportunity to further strengthen their position as a trusted sender while enhancing their deliverability by providing trusted visual branding to their email communications.

Twilio SendGrid now offers additional DMARC enforcement and monitoring options in partnership with Valimail, which helps customers protect themselves from others using their brand incorrectly or misrepresenting them. Get started with BIMI and Twilio SendGrid to enjoy enhanced brand recognition and improved customer engagement today. 

Increase customer trust with branded communications today

Branded communications can help businesses lead customers to take a particular action, increasing their understanding of each customer in the process. With this information, businesses can then provide more targeted, personalized communications that are trusted and wanted. 

Brands that will lead in overall customer engagement across channels are those that embrace RCS and other branded communications to create authentic, meaningful interactions. With Twilio’s APIs, customers can enjoy the newest technology around branded communications, including branded messaging, branded caller ID, and branded email. Foster customer trust, strengthen customer loyalty, and deliver unparalleled communication experiences with Twilio today.

Kathryn Murphy is Twilio’s Senior Vice President of Product and Design focused on Twilio's communications products. She brings over 20 years of experience in product management, design and engineering with deep domain expertise across retail, commerce, payments, customer data platforms, and multi-channel marketing.