AOL was rated as the top Internet service provider for overall customer experience, according to a survey of consumers by Forrester Research, an independent research company. The survey asked nearly 4,600 consumers about their interactions with Internet service providers based on a number of measures, including usefulness (tied for first at 79%) and ease-of-use (71%).

AOL’s overall “Customer Experience Index” rating was 71%, higher than any other service provider in the survey, according to Forrester. The Forrester survey also found that AOL’s Index score climbed five percentage points between 2007 and 2008.

In this kind of economy, it is good to know that businesses are focusing on providing top customer experience.