Transforming Business Processes With Tailored AI Solutions

Nativa is a Mexican company that develops conversational AI solutions to transform customer service, digital onboarding, and contact centers through chatbots, voicebots, encrypted video calls, and identity verification.

Q: How would you describe Nativa's position within the Mexican conversational AI solutions ecosystem? 
A: While the industry initially focused on using "conversational commerce" for customer relations, we recognized that its application is equally critical for internal processes. This approach provides solutions for internal functions including HR, logistics, and compliance. We are in a really unique position, we did not originate as a technology development company focused on building a single proprietary platform, but as a strategic partner that integrates the best available technologies to solve specific business challenges, whether they are client-facing or internally oriented.

Q: What is Nativa's real differentiator compared to other chatbot developers and automated customer service platforms? 
A: Our primary differentiator lies in two core areas that address a significant market gap beyond pure technology. First, we maintain a curated portfolio of diverse, best-in-class platforms, allowing us to design genuinely tailored solutions for a client's specific needs. Second, we provide comprehensive, 360° support that encompasses both consulting and technical integration. Our UX Labs team, staffed by experts in linguistics and other fields, co-creates everything from the bot's persona to the fundamental user experience. 

Q: How has your focus on specialized, tailor-made solutions optimized the technology adoption process for your clients? 
A: The adoption process for AI is often chaotic and undefined, creating significant uncertainty for companies of all sizes. We address this problem by co-creating a strategic roadmap with our clients. We shift the focus from "what" technology to implement to "why" it is being implemented. We help them evaluate whether they have the necessary structured data and internal readiness to succeed. We define the final business objective first and then collaboratively determine the best path to get there, ensuring the chosen solution aligns with a client’s specific capabilities, needs, and long-term goals.

Q: What has been the most important lesson you have identified in the process of co-creating conversational strategies with large Mexican corporations? 
A: The most critical lesson is that every company is a unique entity. A "plug-and-play" solution does not exist. To create a successful strategy, one must deeply understand not only the company's technical needs and capabilities but also its internal culture. For example, an early-adopter client is energized by the prospect of being the first in Latin America to implement a novel technology. In contrast, a more conservative company will be deterred by the same proposition and will require multiple success cases before moving forward. 

Q: How have client expectations for conversational AI changed over time? 
A: Companies now have more established processes, more knowledgeable teams, and a better understanding of their own needs. However, a significant opportunity for growth remains in shifting from a short-term to a medium and long-term vision. We still encounter large enterprises that are primarily focused on immediate results. While they may conceptually agree with a long-term return on investment strategy, their internal reporting structures and key performance indicators (KPIs) often compel them to prioritize projects that deliver faster, albeit smaller, benefits.

Q: How does Nativa address the challenges of scalability and efficiency in sectors like banking, retail, or logistics? 
A: We operate as a boutique partner, providing each of our top-tier clients with a dedicated, multidimensional team. This team includes an account manager, analytical experts, UX specialists, and technology experts, ensuring highly personalized and proactive service. We also recognize that technological advancement often outpaces adoption. Therefore, we exclusively promote open-architecture platforms that are not "black boxes." 

Q: What capabilities differentiate your Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms from other more generic or commercial solutions? 
A: The market for conversational AI platforms is segmented into different tiers, and no single platform stands entirely alone at the top. We focus on the highest tier of solutions, where capabilities are broadly comparable. Our true differentiation is not found in a proprietary algorithm but in our holistic, 360° model. We can combine the best platform for Generative AI with a different one for a voicebot and yet another for an internal Know Your Customer (KYC) process. 

Q: How do you manage regulatory and compliance issues in sensitive processes such as identity verification in regulated sectors? 
A: This requires a dual focus. The first is the technology itself, which must meet the highest security standards. We advise every company to conduct a thorough security compliance review for any technology that will handle sensitive data via Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) or other means. The second, which is a new challenge introduced by Generative AI, involves managing biases, hallucinations, and jailbreaking. A common question we receive is why a company should not just connect directly to a public model like ChatGPT. The answer lies in control. Without proper guardrails, a system can be manipulated, as seen with a US car agency whose bot was prompted to approve an 80% discount. 

Q: What trends are expected to shape the evolution of conversational AI applied to customer experience in Mexico? 
A: There is a significant gap between technological advancement and its adoption. In the next two to five years, the technological future points toward "agent-to-agent" communication. Instead of having dozens of apps, everyone will have a single, personalized AI agent on their devices. One will instruct the agent to perform tasks like checking a bank balance, transferring funds, and booking a flight, and the agent will communicate directly with the bank's agent. 

However, the immediate future of adoption in the next 12 months is centered on Generative AI. The focus will be on implementing generative capabilities across digital channels, with WhatsApp remaining the dominant communication platform in Mexico and Latin America for customer engagement. We also anticipate a resurgence of voice channels powered by more intelligent voicebots and an increasing emphasis on leveraging Generative AI for smarter internal integrations and applications. 

Q: What measures should Mexican businesses and public organizations take to close these AI adoption gaps? 
A: The reasons behind the lag include caution, distrust, and a general lack of knowledge about what AI truly is and how it can be applied. There is also a cultural shift required, similar to past technological transitions. The key for companies is to focus on education, understanding that AI is not meant to replace jobs but to augment human capabilities by automating repetitive tasks, thereby freeing employees to focus on higher-value activities. 

The way to overcome this hesitation is through a gradual, phased approach. Companies should start with small, low-risk projects, perhaps focusing on non-authenticated user interactions first. It is also critical to understand that successful AI implementation is not an IT project to be siloed within the systems department; it must be treated as a cross-functional, enterprise-level strategic initiative. 

Q: How are LLMs and multimodal AI technologies redesigning enterprise conversational flows? 
A: These technologies will impact the entire corporate structure. While "conversational" often implies customer relations, we strongly advise our B2B clients that the first step is to adopt AI internally. The integration of AI should and will change corporate organization, enabling flatter and leaner structures. We are already seeing AI agents appear on company organigrams, not as siloed tools like a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, but as integral members of a team. 

Q: Which areas is Nativa prioritizing to continue strengthening its offer for the Mexican market? 
A: Our innovation efforts are divided into two horizons: short-term and medium-term. In the short term, we are focusing entirely on Generative AI. The challenge is not finding areas to innovate but rather prioritizing from countless possibilities to determine what will deliver the most immediate and significant value to our clients. In the medium term, we are preparing for the agent-to-agent ecosystem. We see a major opportunity for Nativa to act as the "middleware" that connects a client's agent with a bank's agent, for example.

Q: Which business sectors and geographic regions are a priority for Nativa in terms of expansion and service diversification? 
A: We are focusing on Latin America, where our core industries have historically been finance and retail. We are now seeing significant opportunities in sub-industries such as insurance and pharmaceuticals, but we will maintain our primary focus on the sectors where we have the deepest know-how. Geographically, we continue to strengthen our position in Mexico, Colombia, and Central America. Looking ahead, we see a clear potential to continue expanding into more mature markets like the United States and the European Union.