Troubled Sprint Woos Angry Subscribers

Facing upset customers, merger fallout, and peeved execs, Sprint’s new CEO started the job with his work cut out for him. The company has the sector's highest rate of customer dissatisfaction. But by getting personal with patrons and employees, new boss Daniel Hesse is fighting to save the company, the New York Times reports.

In new commercials, Hesse himself suggests subscribers email him. “We needed to put a face on the company,” he says. He's put customer service in the hands of every executive. Meanwhile, rather than immediately replace the old regime, he spoke to midlevel managers to figure out who had earned a raise. The hurdles are significant, he says: “It’s like trying to drink out of a fire hose.” (More Sprint Nextel stories.)