Revolutionising Business Communication: The Journey of Conversive

In a world where business communication often hinges on manual phone interactions, Conversive emerged as a game-changer. Formerly known as SMS Magic, the company provides seamless conversational messaging solutions to help service providers like doctors, educational institutions, and financial firms engage with consumers efficiently across multiple channels.

The idea for the startup originated when the founders noticed a gap in how retailers interacted with customers. “Most of the communication happened through SMS or calls, and much of it was done manually, making it both time-consuming and expensive,” explains Nitin Seth, CEO & Co-founder. While running loyalty programs over SMS and WhatsApp in Mumbai, they realised many retailers lacked structured customer databases, prompting them to build a cloud-based solution.

A Middle-Class Dream Turned Reality

The founder’s entrepreneurial journey was shaped by a middle-class upbringing in India, where education was prioritised above all else. With a degree in engineering from IIT, his mother had loftier aspirations for him but supported his decisions. "Coming from a typical Indian middle-class background, I was taught the value of education and frugality. That mindset became critical for maintaining cash flow positivity and calculating ROI during our early days,” he shares.

Before Conversive, Nitin worked on another startup in Mumbai, collaborating with IIT colleagues on location-based services in partnership with Airtel. This early experience provided him with insights into consumer behavior, particularly in India’s diverse and populous markets. “India allowed us to experiment quickly, refine our products, and scale globally to markets like the US, UK, and Australia,” he recalls.

Overcoming Early Challenges

Building Conversive wasn’t without its hurdles. The CEO cites gaining access to markets and partners as one of the toughest challenges. “It took time to prove our products and credibility. Mumbai’s open market, however, gave us the opportunity to experiment with our ideas,” he says.

Another challenge was maintaining cash flow positivity while experimenting with products. Unlike many startups, Conversive remains bootstrapped to this day. Nitin arranged initial funding of ₹5 lakhs from friends and family to build a prototype of an SMS-based loyalty program. “We’ve grown steadily over the last 10 years without needing external funding, which has its pros and cons,” he admits.

Bridging the Gap in Business Communication

Conversive’s mission is clear: simplify business communication by offering tailored messaging solutions. “We power conversational messaging for service providers to engage with consumers across their lifecycle—from inquiries to admissions and post-support,” explains Nitin.

What sets Conversive apart is its industry-specific use cases, such as doctor appointment reminders or loan application updates, delivered through popular channels like SMS, WhatsApp, and voice bots. The company also ensures compliance with regulations such as GDPR, TCPA, and HIPAA. “Customers receive a complete solution from us, eliminating the need for complex configurations or customisations,” he adds.

The Path to Success

Over the past decade, Conversive has achieved significant milestones. It has carved a strong presence in the US market while continuing to grow in India. The company’s future goals include deepening its footprint in the US, enhancing AI-enabled conversational flows, and expanding integration with CRMs and contact center platforms.

“Our vision is a future where AI assists humans by analysing conversations and identifying opportunities from messages and CRM data,” predicts Nitin. He believes that such technology will empower industries like healthcare, enabling doctors to serve patients efficiently with minimal staff while providing care access at any time.

Looking Ahead

As Conversive steps into the future, it is focused on broadening its team in the US and India and hiring AI engineers to develop advanced solutions. With the rise of conversational AI and voice bots, the company sees tremendous potential in revolutionising business communication. “We always built with a clear use case in mind, driven by customer needs. That approach gave us confidence to scale and attract users,” concludes Nitin.

From humble beginnings in India to becoming a global leader in conversational messaging, Conversive exemplifies how a clear vision and customer-centric approach can turn an idea into a thriving business. The journey of Conversive is a testament to the power of innovation and perseverance.