Robots, Tech Tools, Gadgets and more!
Not sure what to give your colleagues and your staff for the holiday season? So much depends on your budget and their interests, but if there’s a surplus you need to spend by the end of the year, you might be able to go with something really big!
Here are a few ideas to consider, starting at under $50 and ranging all the way to five or six figures…
FOR THE GADGET PERSON
For those on a limited holiday budget, we’ve got some great stocking stuffer ideas. First, there’s the ScreenBeam. We love these! For less than $50, Windows users can project and share wirelessly on an enabled device—no dongle required. We tested several at higher price points and found ScreenBeam to be a great value for the money and easy to use. These devices also don’t have the latency issues that some of the higher-cost and better-known competitors have.
Another great idea is the Moleskine Smart Pen. For under $200, this is a really neat smart pen that digitally captures notes in real-time as you write in a standard notebook. It will also transcribe notes to text and allow you to watch a video of your capture process including illustrations. (Side note to my family…this one is on my personal wish list!)
Also check out the Apple Watch, available now for under $500. With its own cellular service, this device allows you to leave your phone behind. With many useful applications and a nice interface, Apple Watch is a great gift.
FOR THE PRACTICAL PERSON
Do you have excess budget or available funds for technology spending that may not be available in the future? Then consider going on a major gift-buying spree for one of your business units or the entire company—with a new enterprise software deployment such as ERP, CRM, marketing automation, or a warehouse management system.
We are taking a big leap here in expanding your holiday gift budget, but this one is actually a lot like buying clothes for your kids. Everyone needs to “upgrade” at some point or “migrate” to a whole wardrobe! Sometimes you can let your current enterprise software go on for a little longer, but now may be a good time to plan on a refresh or a whole new platform.
If your budget does not give you room to spend five or six figures, you might also want to consider an add-on or new module to your existing enterprise software platform. Perhaps a business card scanner, address validation or geocoding solution, a new bank interface, or hand-held devices for remote and mobile workers. It’s sort of like a kid adding a new speed-power booster to a remote loop on a Hot Wheels track!
FOR THAT SOMEONE SPECIAL
Give that someone special what they really want—a shiny new BI dashboard! Everyone wants greater access to their data along with better tools to help and analyze and present this information.
This idea is particularly good for company executives. They absolutely love dashboards, making this smart spending for any extra budget you have available this holiday season. Entry points are now relatively low if you want to start putting your foot in the water. Be prepared to add on over time. Getting some development licenses for a BI tool is like buying a game console with a starter game or two. You’ll have a ton of fun with it, want more, and then continue to spend in an effort to quench your insatiable thirst for data!
THE GIFT THAT WILL MAKE YOU JEALOUS
Yes, robotic process automation (RPA) is on the cutting edge of technology, but within a year or two, we anticipate this will be prevalent throughout many industries. If someone you know at another company gets this, you will likely be jealous!
Robotic process automation hasn’t quite hit the mid-market yet, but it’s coming. Your friend may get it, and they likely overpaid to be an early adopter. But they will have a lot of fun with this one! If it’s not in your budget this year, watch for trends or look for opportunities to find a practical use-case for your business in 2020.
