A Day in the Life of a Solutions Architect at Mappedin

What does a Solutions Architect do? How do they help sales prospects and customers to be successful? Jump into a conversation with Chris McDonald, our Solutions Architect on the Developer Relations team, to learn more.

How would you best describe your role?

I help prospects confirm that our technology will effectively solve their problems. This involves understanding their unique challenges, identifying how our solution aligns with their needs, and guiding them through the decision-making process. I frequently answer technical questions during sales calls, translating complex technical jargon into clear, understandable terms.

Additionally, when words alone aren’t enough, I create custom interactive demos that offer a hands-on experience, helping prospects visualize how our technology will directly address their specific pain points. My goal is to build trust and confidence in the solution, ensuring that prospects are fully informed and supported throughout the process.

What does your typical workday look like? 

Morning:

My mornings are usually a mix of internal meetings and sales calls. During internal meetings, I either seek help with specific challenges or offer assistance to others, ensuring that our team stays aligned and on track. Sales calls are another key part of my morning, where I engage with prospects, answer their questions, and demonstrate how our technology can address their needs

Afternoon:

In the afternoon, I have more uninterrupted time to focus on larger, strategic projects for the sales team. These can involve creating customized demos, preparing technical documentation, or refining our approach based on prospect feedback.

My go-to lunch is:

I’m all about convenience, so I usually opt for premade salads—something quick, healthy, and easy to grab on the go!

How do you prioritize between various client requests and internal projects?

Most internal requests revolve around clients, so I’m constantly re-prioritizing to reduce their wait times as much as possible. This requires staying flexible and juggling multiple tasks, ensuring that urgent client needs are addressed promptly while still keeping long-term projects moving forward. It’s a balancing act of managing expectations, maintaining clear communication, and delivering timely solutions to keep everything on track.

What role do you play in the pre-sales process or when onboarding new clients?

I help clients gain confidence in our ability to solve their problems by tailoring my approach to their specific needs. Technical audiences often require clarity on lower-level details, such as system architecture, integration points, or performance metrics. On the other hand, non-technical stakeholders are more focused on how the big picture fits together, ensuring the solution aligns with broader business goals and objectives. 

By adapting my communication style, whether it’s diving into technical specifics or painting a high-level vision, I ensure that every client walks away with a clear understanding of how our technology will work for them.

What skills or experiences have been most valuable for your role?

Being able to build sample applications quickly, with credible and professional design, helps prospects see exactly what they need to visualize. These tailored demos provide a concrete example of how our solution will work in their environment, addressing their specific use cases.

How has Mappedin’s product evolved since you started, and how has that impacted your role

Self-service indoor mapmaking has revolutionized the sales process, even for prospects who ultimately have us build their maps. The ability for prospects to quickly test our tools with their own venue accelerates conversations by moving past basic questions to focus on specific use cases and implementation details. This hands-on experience simplifies the process by giving prospects a deeper understanding of how the technology works in practice, allowing for more meaningful discussions about their unique requirements.

Having built so many demos, concepts, and solutions, what excites you the most about building the next one?

Our technology advances so rapidly that each new solution demo gets to leverage the latest capabilities, making it even easier and more impressive to show prospects how our tools can help them achieve their goals. This continuous innovation means we’re always showcasing cutting-edge features, which often exceed expectations and demonstrate the full potential of our solutions. While building with technology is always exciting, the real reward comes from seeing the positive reactions of prospects when they realize how seamlessly our solutions fit their needs—and ultimately watching them become satisfied customers.

What advice would you give to someone aspiring to be a Solutions Architect in a company like Mappedin?

The advice I would give would be to listen carefully to customers.  Helping them visualize what they want is sometimes different than showing them what they ask for.  By understanding their underlying goals and pain points, I can offer solutions they may not have initially considered but that align more closely with their needs. This requires not just listening to their requests but also interpreting the broader vision behind them, guiding them toward a more effective and impactful outcome.