Article summary
Choose RCS Availability or System Check from the business question, then interpret phone, availability, system and ID without overclaiming.
“Run an RCS Number Check” is not a complete requirement. The operator usually needs to know either whether phones can enter an RCS workflow or what system category was observed. Those questions require different tasks and different Excel columns.
Start with the decision you need to make
Choose RCS Availability when the decision concerns observed RCS availability. Choose RCS System Check when the workflow depends on the returned system classification. Do not choose the second task merely because its fields sound more technical.
Field card for the two branches
| Task | Returned fields | Suitable question |
|---|---|---|
| RCS Availability | Phone, availability observation | Which part of this batch appears RCS-capable? |
| RCS System Check | Phone, system, ID | What system categories were observed? |
Availability is not a permanent identity attribute
Capability may depend on device, carrier, client, configuration and observation time. Google’s RCS Business Messaging material treats a capability check as a pre-send determination, not identity verification.
How the system branch should work
First distinguish populated, empty and unknown values. Next verify that a value belongs to the current task’s documented vocabulary. Only then route it to an operational branch. Do not force an unknown system into the nearest category, and do not interpret ID as a government identifier or universal customer key.
The cost of choosing the wrong branch
A team seeking reachability but ordering a system-oriented task receives fields that do not answer its decision. A team studying system distribution but ordering availability alone cannot reconstruct the missing classification later. Writing one precise decision question before submission is often cheaper than buying more columns.
TXT in, controlled branches out
Upload TXT with one phone per line. Keep a private crosswalk between batch_row and the business object. When Excel returns, write either rcs_available_observed or rcs_system_observed into staging with checked_at and task version; do not overwrite the source phone.
What a sample acceptance test examines
- Do input, output and exception counts reconcile?
- Are unknown availability values preserved separately?
- Do system vocabulary and ID nulls match the task definition?
- Are duplicate phones handled consistently within the batch?
Capability is not permission
An available RCS destination has not necessarily agreed to marketing. Source, consent scope, opt-out and local requirements need a separate check. Google’s RCS best practices also focus on clear brand identity and an appropriate conversational experience.
A deliberately small event model
A sound record needs phone_ref, task_type, observed_value, checked_at, rule_version and source_batch. Store time-sensitive observations in an event table. When they expire, the business can recheck them instead of trusting a date-free column called “RCS user” forever.
