THE SERVICE STANDARD
Customer Excellence Annual Feature
Sri Lanka’s finest in service excellence unveiled in LMD’s annual online survey
There is only one boss: the customer
Sam Walton
In an age where customer expectations evolve faster than ever, true success lies in delivering excellence – not merely satisfaction. Today’s consumers expect seamless experiences, personalised interactions and brands that deliver. With technology reshaping how people engage, service excellence has become the cornerstone of loyalty.
In its 2025/26 Global Customer Experience Excellence report, KPMG reveals that customer expectations are accelerating faster than companies can adapt.
“To compete in this rapidly emerging landscape, organisations must think beyond isolated transactions, functional silos and organisational boundaries. We are standing at a pivotal moment in the evolution of customer experience – one that will redefine how organisations design and deliver experiences to customers, employees and ecosystem partners,” says Global Customer CoE Lead of KPMG International and Principal KPMG in the US Walt Becker.
To gauge the pulse of local consumers, LMD’s annual online survey was conducted across 40 diverse categories, capturing the wide range of services that impact our everyday lives.
Fashion Bug dominates the accessories category, staying ahead of CIB and Lovers. In airlines (domestic), Millennium Airlines secures the top position with Cinnamon Air dropping to second and FITS Aviation retaining its place at No. 3. In airlines (international), SriLankan Airlines continues to lead with Emirates and Qatar Airways maintaining strong standings.
Meanwhile, in automobiles (motorbikes), Associated Motorways takes the lead, and is joined by TVS Lanka and David Pieris Motor Company. And the Automobiles (vehicles) category is led by Associated Motorways, Toyota Lanka and Stafford Motor Co in the latter.
Banks are for the second consecutive year headed by Commercial Bank of Ceylon (ComBank), Bank of Ceylon (BOC) and Hatton National Bank (HNB) respectively. Among the bars and pubs, The Love Bar, Kings Bar and Cheers Bar earn the top three rankings for customer preference.
In building materials (electrical), OREL Corporation, Kelani Cables and Kevilton Electrical Products shine, while in building materials (general) Tokyo Cement, Siam City Cement (Lanka) and Ceylon Steel Corporation dominate the category.
Barista Coffee Lanka retains its place in the cafes and coffee shops segment, followed by Seed Cafe and Caravan Fresh. In clothing, Fashion Bug leads again, ahead of NOLIMIT and Cool Planet. And PickMe continues to be the country’s preferred courier service with Domestic Express and Pronto Lanka close behind.
Daraz.lk remains the most visited e-commerce platform, followed by kapruka.com and pickme.lk. In fast food outlets, Burger King, KFC and Pizza Hut share the spotlight. And LOLC Finance helms the finance and leasing segment with Singer Finance (Lanka) and LB Finance rounding off the top three.
Among the higher education institutes, American College of Higher Education (ACHE) takes the lead. In home and kitchenware, Singer Sri Lanka occupies the top spot while Arpico and Damro trail close behind. And Arpico Interiors leads in home finishing with Damro and JAT Holdings also recognised by voters.
Among the most popular hospitals, Hemas Hospitals is rated highest, followed by Asiri Hospital Holdings and Nawaloka Hospitals. Colombo’s hotels are led by Shangri-La Colombo, Hilton Colombo and The Kingsbury, while in hotels nationwide DoubleTree by Hilton Weerawila Rajawarna Resort, Shangri-La Hambantota and Camelot Beach Hotel take the lead.
Ceylinco General Insurance, Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation and HNB General Insurance continue to dominate the general insurance segment, while AIA Insurance Lanka, Ceylinco Life and Softlogic Life remain the most trusted life insurance names. Vogue Jewellers secures first place in jewellery stores, followed by Raja Jewellers.
In the luxury watches category, Chatham Luxury Watches, Wimaladharma & Sons and Colombo Jewellery Stores hold the top three positions. Hello Mobile, iDealz Lanka and Softlogic Max emerge as leaders in mobile phones, while Bally’s Casino, Rhythm and Blues (R&B) and Casino Marina are the favourites in the nightclubs and casinos segment.
The online stores (clothing) category is dominated by fashionbug.lk, and both online stores (electronics) and online stores (homeware) are led by daraz.lk. In online stores (food and groceries), keelssuper.com takes the top spot.
Vision Care Optical Services ranks first among optometrists while in pest control, Exterminators emerges as the customer favourite. Healthguard Pharmacy takes the lead in the pharmacies category while Al-Mina Indian Family Restaurant is recognised as the most popular in the restaurants category. And One Galle Face Mall remains the country’s most popular shopping mall.
Among the spas and wellness centres, Spa Ceylon continues its reign for service excellence with NIJA Luxury Wellness and Siddhalepa Ayurveda Spa in joint second place. As for supermarkets, Cargills Food City leads the pack. Among taxi services, PickMe remains the most popular. And the three leading service oriented telcos this year are SLT-MOBITEL, Dialog Axiata and Hutchison Telecommunications Lanka.
With loyalty increasingly tied to experience rather than familiarity, the coming year will test how well local brands can listen, adapt and deliver on customer expectations.
