A plain-language guide to the three most important business messaging channels in India — and when to use each.
You've built your product, you have customers, and you want to reach them on their phones. Now you have three choices: WhatsApp, SMS, or RCS. Each one works differently, costs differently, and performs differently depending on what you're sending.
Here's a plain breakdown — no technical jargon — so you can make the right call.
India has over 500 million WhatsApp users. For most businesses, this is where your customers already are. WhatsApp Business API lets you send messages at scale — campaigns, AI replies, order updates — from a verified business account.
Open rates: 90%+ (email is around 20%)
Best for: Lead follow-ups, sales conversations, cart recovery, appointment reminders, payment collection, customer support
Cost: ₹0.14–₹0.95 per message depending on type. Service conversations (replies to customer messages) are free for 24 hours.
Limitation: Customer must have WhatsApp. You need pre-approved message templates for outbound marketing.
SMS reaches every phone, regardless of internet connection or app. In tier-2 and tier-3 cities, SMS still delivers reliably where WhatsApp might not land. DLT compliance is required in India — Tanvik handles this via Route Mobile.
Open rates: 98% (but engagement is lower than WhatsApp)
Best for: OTPs, transactional alerts, reaching customers without smartphones, high-reach campaigns where WhatsApp coverage may be incomplete
Limitation: Text only, no images or buttons. Feels less personal than WhatsApp.
RCS (Rich Communication Services) is essentially SMS — but with images, carousels, action buttons and branded sender IDs. It looks like an app, works through the default messaging app on Android, and needs no installation.
Best for: Product catalogues, promotional campaigns with rich visuals, businesses targeting Android-heavy customer bases
Limitation: Not available on iOS yet in India. Requires carrier support.
For most Indian SMBs, the answer is: start with WhatsApp. It's where your customers are, it supports AI replies, and it handles everything from sales to support in one thread.
Add SMS for critical transactional messages (OTPs, delivery alerts) and to reach customers in areas with low smartphone penetration.
Add RCS when you want to run rich promotional campaigns on Android without the friction of WhatsApp opt-ins.
The best part: Tanvik runs all three from one inbox, one wallet, one AI agent. You don't need three separate tools.
Tanvik manages all three channels from a single platform. Free plan available.
See how it works →