In Customer Success (CS) at Appian, you’ll not only have the opportunity to become a great CS leader, but you’ll also become a great developer along the way, according to Matthew Shanahan.
Matthew joined Appian straight from college as Associate Consultant, and in the past five years grew into a Principal Consultant role on the technical Architect track in Customer Success – a reflection of his dedication and the opportunities available at Appian for those who pursue them. Career paths vary, but Matthew’s journey showcases what’s possible with commitment and support.
He breaks down his day-to-day work as a Technical Lead on a customer project, how he works with Engineering, and the technical growth opportunities at Appian.
What interested you in joining Appian Customer Success right out of college?
At 22, I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to take. I had a solid foundation in technical skills, but I knew I didn’t want to spend all my time coding. After earning my computer science degree from Georgetown University, I became increasingly curious about how those technical skills could be applied in broader contexts, especially within large enterprise systems. I wanted to understand how technology drives business outcomes and how I could be a bridge between the two.
The Appian platform is always changing. I loved that as a Customer Success Consultant in my early years, I got to do everything. That includes code reviews, building new features, or working directly with customers. There are so many ways to grow and try a variety of work when you start and specialize later on.
For someone passionate about AI for example, there are countless opportunities to explore how it can be integrated into our platform. Many teams across the department have worked extensively with AI, depending on the specific product and customer needs. One AI use case I've discussed with my customer involves using AI to extract data from PDF forms to help speed up the process of capturing information for funding requests.
How did you use your computer science background in your first Consultant role?
Technical skills are essential for success in the Appian Customer Success role. In my first year, most of my work involved hands-on development on the platform. As a CS Consultant, you are expected to be a competent developer, and over the time with hands-on work you will grow into a great one. My background in SQL programming and database coursework in college were important and provided a solid foundation for growing my technical skills at Appian.
For example, I partnered with a customer on a load and performance testing initiative. This involved designing a performance testing strategy and writing test scripts in Python to simulate real-world usage.
From the beginning, Appian sets you up for success. You start with Academy training to learn the platform, and then you’re placed directly on a customer project. My first project was already in the testing phase, so I had to quickly ramp up on a complex application to support my team, which involved troubleshooting, fixing issues, and preparing the system for go-live.
Matthew with his colleagues from Customer Success (from left): Jenny Simmons, Nhi Nguyen, and Jarrett Schneider.
What is your day-to-day work like when you’re in the building phase with customers?
Last spring, we were building a compliance application on our platform for a customer in the healthcare field, ensuring all relevant regulations were met as they conducted their business around the globe. As the Technical Lead, I was overseeing two 3-person pods as the team grew, however most standard delivery pods in CS are 3 people.
During this project, my day-to-day involved tasks like:
- Reviewing my team’s code to ensure it met best practices
- Looking ahead for technical risks and planning strategies to mitigate them
- Communicating regularly with the customer on the team’s status and to monitor for any issues
- Occasionally meeting with internal stakeholders, like Product and Engineering.
I was the one responding to issues in real time and serving as the bridge between our internal teams and the customer. In this role, I wasn’t just writing code, I was thinking critically about how we deliver quality solutions. I found myself constantly asking: Are we delivering high-quality code? Is this solution providing the most value to our customer? That mindset has been key to growing both technically and strategically in my role.
Can you share an example when you collaborated closely with Engineering?
I’m one of the leads of our Engineering Feedback Guild, where we elevate the voice of the customer to our Product and Engineering teams. We regularly discuss the feedback we hear from customers: what’s working, what’s not, and what they’d like to see in the product. The Guild is a key way we foster cross-functional collaboration and build strong relationships with leaders across CS, Product, and Engineering.
Of course, we can’t capture every challenge from every customer, but we can create the right structures and channels to ensure that the most impactful feedback reaches the Product team, so they can build what truly matters.
How did you decide to pursue the technical path in CS to be an Architect?
My decision to pursue the technical path toward becoming an Architect was largely influenced by the mentorship support I received at Appian. Early on, several team members recognized my technical background and helped me see what it could look like to grow on the Architect track. One mentor in particular had a strong sense that I’d thrive in delivery work, and she encouraged me to explore more technical projects.
On one of my first delivery engagements, I worked closely with the Technical Lead, who trusted me to review other developer’s code and ensure it met our technical standards. That experience gave me both the confidence and the curiosity to go deeper into the technical side of delivery projects. It was a pivotal moment that sparked my interest in the Architect path. At Appian, there are many ways to grow your career in Customer Success, and the technical Architect track is just one of the exciting paths available.
For someone joining Appian in a CS Consultant role, what skills are important to be successful?
For someone starting as a CS Consultant at Appian, strong problem-solving skills are important, especially the ability to translate technical concepts into a clear language everyone can understand. If you enjoy a technical role, but don’t want to be coding 100% of the time, this role provides a great balance between hands-on development and strategic collaboration with customers.
You’ll excel at Appian if you have a growth mindset. Part of the reason why I’ve stayed at Appian for five years is because of the constant opportunities to learn and grow. You’re surrounded by a team that genuinely wants to see you succeed, and that makes a huge difference in your development.