Strategic Customer Service Lessons from the Harambee Stars’ CHAN Performance
By Simon Wafubwa, CEO – Enwealth Financial Services Group
The recent performance of our Harambee Stars at the CHAN tournament has left many Kenyans inspired. Beyond the wins and lessons on the pitch, their journey provides us with profound insights that also apply to business and customer service. Football is not just a game; it is a living metaphor for strategy, teamwork, resilience, and leadership – the very pillars we at Enwealth embrace as we serve our clients across the region.
Defence – Protecting the Goal, Protecting the Brand
In football, defenders ensure the ball doesn’t breach the backline. In customer service, our defense is trust and reliability. Like our Harambee Stars’ backline, businesses must respond swiftly to risks and protect clients’ interests. Every complaint resolved, every promise kept, is a clean tackle that prevents reputational damage.
Midfield – Orchestrating Play, Orchestrating Experience
The Harambee Stars midfield controlled the pace of the game, creating opportunities for attack and keeping possession. In customer service, the midfield is about orchestrating smooth client journeys – listening, empathising, and finding solutions. Just as a midfielder links defence to attack, Enwealth ensures our clients’ financial journeys flow seamlessly, from savings to investments, insurance and retirement planning.
Strikers – Finishing Strong, Delivering Delight
Goals change games. Our strikers demonstrated vision, anticipation, and execution. In customer service, the “striker’s role” is delighting clients – turning satisfaction into loyalty, and loyalty into advocacy. When we exceed expectations, we “score” by creating memorable client experiences that drive sustainable growth.
Goalkeeper – Assurance at the Back, Service Recovery at the Front
When everything else fails, the goalkeeper steps up. For Harambee Stars, decisive saves kept them in the game. In customer service, this is escalation management – stepping in to fix problems and turn potential losses into wins. Service recovery is our “last save” that can transform a near-crisis into renewed client confidence.
The Coach – Leadership, Strategy, and Data-Driven Decisions
No football team succeeds without a coach. The Harambee Stars’ technical bench brought vision, discipline, and tactical adjustments. In business, this is leadership. Leadership plays the role of the coach – setting strategy, allocating resources, and fostering a culture of excellence. Like modern football managers who rely on data analytics, we also harness client insights, service metrics, and financial data to refine our approach and keep improving performance.
The Winning Lesson: Teamwork for Impact
Just as the Harambee Stars’ CHAN performance showed us, every role matters – defenders, midfielders, strikers, goalkeepers, and coaches alike. The same applies in customer service:
Defence builds trust
Midfield creates seamless experiences
Strikers deliver delight
Goalkeepers recover mistakes
Coaches guide strategy through teamwork and analytics
At Enwealth, we believe client service is a team sport. Like our national team, success comes not from individual brilliance alone, but from collective purpose, resilience, and strategic execution. As we celebrate the Harambee Stars’ efforts, may we also be inspired to build businesses and institutions that play to win – with integrity, unity, and impact.