RCS Setup (2025)

Executive Summary

Problem:
With the introduction of RCS as a new messaging channel, brands lacked a clear, scalable way to register and configure an RCS Agent. This carrier-governed requirement was initially managed through manual spreadsheets.

Context:
RCS Agent setup sat at the intersection of external carrier constraints, global compliance rules, and Klaviyo’s existing SMS ecosystem. While foundational to branded RCS messaging, it needed to feel consistent, trustworthy, and easy to complete within an established product surface.

My Role:
Product Designer responsible for the end-to-end RCS Agent setup experience. I partnered closely with a Lead Designer, a Content Designer, a Product Manager, and the Engineering team to translate external requirements into a coherent, self-serve workflow within Settings.

Outcome:
Launched a guided RCS Agent setup experience that replaced manual beta processes, reduced operational overhead, and created a scalable foundation for RCS adoption.

Problem & Business Context

When Klaviyo added RCS as a messaging type, early access was limited to a small beta cohort. Agent registration: a prerequisite for sending branded RCS messages, was handled via spreadsheets containing nearly 30 required inputs.

This approach introduced clear limitations:

  • High cognitive effort for customers

  • Manual coordination across teams

  • Risk of incomplete or inconsistent data during carrier review

From a business standpoint, RCS needed to feel as approachable as SMS, despite significantly higher technical and regulatory complexity.

Credit: Telesign - RCS Datasheet

Why This Was Hard

Several factors made this problem non-trivial:

  • No existing pattern: Klaviyo had no in-product precedent for RCS Agent configuration

  • External dependencies: Carrier requirements varied by country and imposed strict validation rules

  • Unfamiliar domain: RCS terminology and constraints were new to customers and internal teams alike

  • System fit: The experience needed to live naturally within an existing Settings architecture

  • Async collaboration: Core partners were distributed across time zones, requiring clear documentation and disciplined iteration

The challenge was not visual design; it was translating a complex, external system into an intuitive internal experience.

Credit: Infobip RCS sender creation

Approach & Strategy

Rather than exposing the full complexity of RCS, we framed Agent creation as a guided setup task with a clear start and finish.

Design principles:

  1. Progressive disclosure over exhaustive explanation

  2. Clear distinction between required and contextual inputs

  3. System-aware validation with understandable feedback

  4. A durable mental model: configure once, reuse everywhere

The goal was to help brands complete a necessary prerequisite with confidence—without requiring them to understand the underlying infrastructure.

Credit: Twilio sender creation

Design Solution

Guided Setup Flow

  • Converted ~30 spreadsheet fields into a structured, multi-step wizard

  • Grouped inputs by intent (brand identity, contact details, compliance)

  • Embedded inline guidance in place of external documentation

Constraint-Aware UX

  • Country-specific character limits and formatting are handled directly in the UI

  • Clear error states tied to real carrier requirements

  • Progressive disclosure for advanced or edge-case scenarios

Native Settings Integration

  • Approved RCS Agents lived persistently in Settings

  • Messaging teams could design RCS templates elsewhere without re-entering agent data

  • Reinforced the Agent as shared brand infrastructure, not a campaign-level artifact

Impact & Outcomes

  • Replaced manual beta workflows with a scalable, self-serve experience

  • Reduced setup friction for early RCS adopters

  • Improved data consistency for downstream carrier approval

  • Established a reusable pattern for onboarding future messaging capabilities

Most importantly, it allowed RCS to launch as a productized feature, not an operational exception.

Reflection

This project reinforced a recurring theme in enterprise product design:
The best experiences often come from absorbing complexity on behalf of the user.

By translating opaque, external requirements into a straightforward, guided workflow, RCS Agent Setup enabled a new messaging channel to feel like a natural extension of Klaviyo’s platform—rather than a departure from it.

Thank you for reading. If you’d like to learn more about my design process, feel free to reach out at design@charronmatthews.com.

Thank you for reading. If you’d like to learn more about my design process, please feel free to contact me directly at design@charronmatthews.com — take care!