The US outperformed the UK across all sectors except the public sector with US utilities brands gaining the biggest lead on their UK counterparts.

US financial services brand USAA topped the Customer Experience Excellence ranking for the third consecutive year; in the UK it was first direct.

Over half ( 58 ) of the top-100 US brands were delivering outstanding customer experience this year, compared with just under a quarter ( 24 ) last year. In the most recent UK analysis, only four brands achieved this status.

David Conway, director at KPMG Nunwood, said: "Customer experience is undoubtedly a more mature discipline in the US, so it’s no surprise that UK brands are clearly being outpaced by their US counterparts – and fast.

"To avoid being left behind, brands need to seamlessly integrate both their human and digital capabilities, while maintaining their focus on customer experience."

The KPMG Nunwood Customer Experience Excellence Centre surveyed more than 7,500 US consumers about 257 US brands across 10 sectors and ranked them by the customer experience they provide.