A verified agent
Your brand's RCS agent, with its name, logo and verification, is the sender customers see in the thread.
RCS Chatbot Builder
RCS Chatbot Builder:
Flows as Rich Cards
Build automated conversation flows that render as verified, interactive RCS rich cards and suggested actions inside the phone's own messaging app, with no separate app to install.
What Is an RCS Chatbot Builder?
An RCS chatbot builder is a no-code tool for designing automated conversations that run on RCS Business Messaging, the rich successor to SMS. Instead of plain text, each step of the conversation can appear as a branded rich card, a swipeable carousel or a row of tappable suggested replies, inside the messaging app the customer already uses.
RCS supports verified branding, rich cards, carousels and suggested-reply buttons, a much richer canvas than plain SMS. The RCS Chatbot Builder lets you design flows that take advantage of that format, so an FAQ answer, a booking flow or a product carousel renders as tappable cards instead of a wall of text.
Flows built here share the same conversation engine as the WhatsApp chatbot builder, so lead capture, appointment booking, human handoff and CRM sync work the same way on both channels.
Key Features
🃏
Rich Card Flows
Design conversation steps that render as branded rich cards and image carousels.
👆
Suggested Actions
Tappable quick-reply and call-to-action buttons built into every automated step.
🔀
Visual Flow Builder
The same no-code flow builder used for WhatsApp and web chatbots, targeting RCS's card format.
❓
Questions & Branching
Ask questions, check the answer type, and branch the flow on what the customer chooses.
🙋
Live Agent Handoff
Escalate to a teammate in the shared inbox with the full conversation history.
🧩
CRM Sync
Every conversation and captured lead syncs to your CRM in real time, same as every other channel.
📲
No App Install
Delivered through the phone's native messaging app, with no separate download for the recipient.
Consent & Opt-In
RCS messaging, including chatbot flows, requires recipient consent before sending. See our RCS Opt-In page for the consent form and flow we use to enrol users, and our RCS Business Messaging page for the underlying channel.
RCS Chatbot Pricing
RCS chatbot messages are billed per delivered message, like any other RCS message. A long RCS message is billed once rather than split into segments as SMS is. Recipients who can't receive RCS get the SMS fallback, billed at the SMS rate. Final pricing depends on use case and volume.
See full pricing →RCS
Branded, verified messages on Android
₹0.13
from, per message
SMS
Transactional, DLT routed
₹0.12
from, per SMS
How RCS Chatbots Work
An RCS chatbot is a conversation flow attached to your verified RCS agent. Each message the customer sends, or each card they tap, moves the flow to its next step.
A trigger
A customer replies to a campaign, taps a suggestion, or your system starts a conversation for a booking or an order.
Flow steps
The flow sends cards, carousels and suggested replies, asks questions and branches on the answers.
Events back to the flow
Each reply or suggestion tap comes back as an event, so the bot can continue, call your systems or hand over to a person.
RCS Rich Cards, Carousels and Suggested Actions
These are the building blocks RCS gives a chatbot, and what each is best used for:
Rich card
One card with an image, a title, a short description and buttons. Good for a single offer, an appointment summary or an order status.
Carousel
Several rich cards side by side that the customer swipes through. Good for products, services, locations or time slots.
Suggested replies
Tappable answers, such as Confirm or Reschedule, that send a reply back to the bot so the customer never has to type.
Suggested actions
Buttons that act on the phone: open a link, dial a number, show a location or add an event to the calendar.
For a plain-language explanation of the channel, read what RCS Business Messaging is and how it works.
Conversational Flows You Can Build
A flow is a chain of steps on the visual canvas. The same step types are available for RCS, WhatsApp and web chat:
Messages, buttons and carousels
Text, images, button choices, quick replies, list menus and card carousels.
Questions
Ask for a name, number, email or phone number, save it to the contact, and re-ask when the answer doesn't fit.
Logic
Conditions, variables, delays and jumps between flows, so one bot can cover several journeys.
Integrations and handoff
Call your own systems through API steps, and hand the conversation to a person when the flow can't finish it.
RCS Chatbot Use Cases
Appointment booking
Product discovery
Browse a product carousel, ask about size or price and jump to checkout, for retail and e-commerce.
Lead qualification
Ask budget, location and timeline with suggested replies, then hand the lead to sales, for real estate.
Service and support
Answer FAQs, share order or account status and route to an agent, for banks and fintechs and education.
Does an RCS Chatbot Work on Jio, Airtel and Vi?
Yes. Messagify's RCS route reaches subscribers on Jio, Airtel and Vi (Vodafone Idea). Whether a particular customer sees your chatbot still depends on three things:
The phone
An Android phone with a compatible messaging app and RCS turned on, or an iPhone on iOS 18 or later where the carrier enables RCS.
The launch
Your agent must be launched on the customer's carrier before business messages reach them.
A capability check
Check each number before sending, and send the SMS fallback to customers who can't receive RCS.
RCS Chatbot vs WhatsApp Chatbot
| RCS chatbot | WhatsApp chatbot | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it appears | The phone's default messaging app, such as Google Messages | The WhatsApp app |
| Sender identity | Verified agent name and logo after brand verification | WhatsApp Business profile on the API |
| Reach | RCS-enabled phones on carriers where the agent is launched | Anyone with WhatsApp who has opted in |
| Rich content | Rich cards, carousels, suggested replies and suggested actions | Reply buttons, list menus, images and media |
| Starting a conversation | Needs the customer's consent | Needs consent, and an approved template outside the 24-hour window |
| Fallback | SMS on your DLT header for phones without RCS | Another channel, such as SMS, sent separately |
| Messagify starting rate | ₹0.13 per message | ₹0.14 per service message |
Many businesses run both from the same flows. See the WhatsApp chatbot builder for the WhatsApp side.
How to Build an RCS Chatbot
1. Launch your RCS agent
Prepare your brand name, logo, colours and contact details, complete brand verification, and launch the agent on the carriers you need.
2. Pick one journey
Start with a single conversation, such as booking or product discovery, where cards and suggested replies save the customer typing.
3. Design the flow
Build the steps on the visual canvas: cards and carousels for choices, questions for details, conditions for branches and a handoff step.
4. Plan the SMS fallback
Decide what customers without RCS receive, using your registered DLT header and templates, so nobody gets both messages.
5. Test on real devices
Check card layouts, suggestions and every branch on RCS-enabled test phones before launch.
6. Collect opt-in and go live
Enrol customers through a consent flow, then switch the bot on and review conversations to improve it.
Frequently Asked Questions
An RCS chatbot is an automated conversation that runs on RCS Business Messaging. It replies inside the phone's messaging app with branded rich cards, carousels and suggested replies, and can hand the conversation to a person.
No. Flows are built on a no-code visual canvas from cards, buttons, questions and conditions. Developers can optionally add API steps to connect the bot to your own systems.
They share the same flow-building engine, handoff and CRM sync. The RCS Chatbot Builder targets RCS's rich-card format, with carousels, images and suggested actions, while the WhatsApp chatbot builder targets WhatsApp and web chat.
Yes. Messagify's RCS route reaches Jio, Airtel and Vi subscribers once your agent is launched on each carrier. The customer also needs an RCS-capable phone with RCS turned on, so keep SMS as the fallback.
RCS chatbot messages are billed per delivered RCS message, from ₹0.13. Customers who can't receive RCS get a fallback SMS from ₹0.12. Final pricing depends on use case and volume.
Yes. RCS Business Messaging, including automated chatbot flows, follows a consent-based opt-in process. See our RCS Opt-In page for the exact flow.
Yes. A conversation can escalate from the automated flow to a human teammate in the shared inbox, with full context preserved, the same as our other chatbot channels.
Related Guides
Related Channels
Bring Rich, Automated Conversations to RCS
Talk to our team about building your first RCS chatbot flow.