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Building a 24/7 Digital Receptionist for HVAC with SignalWire AI
What if your HVAC company had a receptionist that never sleeps, never puts callers on hold, and always collects the right information? In this SignalWire in Seconds episode, Len introduces Thermo Thrillers, a demo AI assistant designed specifically for HVAC companies.
Powered by SignalWire’s AI Agent and built with SWML in a fully serverless environment, this voice bot—named Raquel—can:
Answer customer calls 24/7
Schedule service appointments
Collect detailed caller info including address, equipment model, and warranty status
Send confirmation messages via SMS
Adapt prompts based on time of day or specific inputs
Len also breaks down how the demo works behind the scenes, showing how easy it is to customize the JSON logic, prompts, and follow-up actions using SignalWire's developer tools. Whether you’re building your first proof-of-concept or creating a production-ready agent, this is a great starting point to see what’s possible.
What is RCS messaging?
Rich Communication Services (RCS) is the next generation of mobile messaging, designed to replace SMS and MMS. It supports high-quality images and video, verified sender identities, read receipts, typing indicators, and interactive elements like carousels and quick replies, all within the phone's native messaging app.
What is RCS Business Messaging (RBM)?
RCS Business Messaging (RBM) applies RCS capabilities to brand-to-consumer communication. It lets businesses message customers from a verified brand identity instead of a phone number, share rich media and documents, offer quick replies and CTAs, and handle actions like appointment confirmations and payments without the customer leaving the chat.
Is RCS replacing SMS?
RCS is positioned as the successor to SMS, but the transition is gradual. Businesses should adopt RCS where supported while keeping SMS and MMS as fallback channels for devices and networks that don't yet support it.
Does iPhone support RCS?
Yes. Apple added RCS support starting with iOS 18, with RCS Business Messaging support arriving in iOS 18.1. Combined with existing Android support, this brings RCS to the large majority of smartphones in the US.
Is RCS more effective than SMS for customer engagement?
Yes. Nearly 80% of consumers say RCS makes them more likely to engage with a brand, and RCS campaigns can achieve click-through rates up to 7x higher than SMS thanks to rich media, interactivity, and verified sender trust.
ow do businesses start sending RCS messages?
Businesses must first register an RCS agent, an approval process involving Google, aggregators, and mobile operators. From there, they can define use cases like marketing, customer service, or appointment reminders. SignalWire guides businesses through registration and campaign planning.
Which industries benefit most from RCS?
Retail, finance, and healthcare are early leaders. Retailers use RCS for in-chat purchases and product carousels, financial institutions use it for secure verified messaging and account alerts, and healthcare providers use it for appointment scheduling and reminders.
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