Keeping Text Pure: Amanda McGuckin Hager on SMS, RCS, and Revenue Growth

In this Winners Circle episode, host Russ Fordyce sits down with Amanda McGuckin Hager, CRO and CMO of TrueDialog, to unpack the future of business texting and why SMS remains one of the most intimate and powerful communication channels brands have. Amanda explains how cultural shifts away from phone calls and email are driving a surge in business text messaging, especially among students and younger audiences who live in their messaging apps. She breaks down how TrueDialog’s enterprise platform lets organizations text directly from tools like Microsoft Teams and CRM systems, creating seamless experiences where calls and texts share the same number and context.The conversation dives into the mechanics and compliance backbone that keep SMS from turning into the next spam filled inbox, including 10DLC registration, carrier level authentication, opt in rules, and TrueDialog’s True Delivery feature that tests messages against carrier filters before campaigns go live. Amanda and Russ also explore the rise of RCS as a kind of HTML for texting, with rich media, carousels, buttons, and verified brand senders poised to transform what business messaging looks like on both Android and Apple devices.From there, Amanda shares how AI fits into this ecosystem, not by writing messages for brands, but by recommending responses, assisting agents with one click replies, and soon providing deeper insights on send times, engagement patterns, and campaign performance based on more than a billion messages sent. She talks about True Connect, a hub style integration that synchronizes SMS activity across Salesforce, Marketing Cloud, Dynamics, HubSpot, and more so sales and marketing see the same conversation trail and do not overwhelm prospects.Finally, Amanda reflects on her own path from long time B2B demand gen marketer to CRO, why she raised her hand to rebuild the sales organization from the ground up, and how aligning sales and marketing around clean data, clear processes, and respectful use of an intimate channel like SMS leads to stronger revenue outcomes. If you care about revenue intelligence, compliant messaging, RCS, and the balance between AI assistance and human connection, this episode offers a practical, down to earth look at where business texting is headed next.