Avid global followers of Xiaomi along with their legions in India too were a little surprised by a small action of the firm last week. On a twitter poll conducted on their Handle, Xiaomi had asked users to pick their preference between the stock Android One user interface and the MI custom interface.
Perhaps it was the confidence of the latest numbers in India that made them no. 1, or their overall feedback from the trade, the firm seems to have been surprised by the poll results, where over 14,000 votes were cast, with a clear majority plumping for the Stock Android OS. Rather than encourage a conversation around the numbers, or even wait for further feedback, the poll was quickly DELETED from the XiaomiXiaomi handle.
We have no doubt that the firm could give many reasons for the action, including some perfectly reasonable ones, we hope this new ‘sensitivity’ will not extend to everything they do. Xiaomi has made it to where it has by being refreshingly fresh in its approach, be it the communication style, the pricing, the distribution and approach to after sales too. With the no. 1 ranking, it is not uncommon, or unusual for a firm to become a little paranoid, not about getting better and stronger as a startup would, but about protecting its ranking. In other words, the fear of losing the ranking becomes a decisive factor in decision making.
That, if and when it happens, usually marks the end of good times as far as employees go, and that will eventually trickly down to your partners, and perhaps, even the customer experience eventually. Usually marked by stonewalling tactics when it comes to tough situations, a new reluctance to accept mistakes, and spotting motives even in well meaning advice or feedback. Here’s wishing Xiaomi remains free of all this and continues to surprise consumers across categories.