Panasonic is supplying The AA, the UK’s largest recovery breakdown service, with 3,000 Toughpad tablets to help patrols enhance communications and service to customers.

The Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1 tablets will be used by patrols to respond to the 10,000 breakdown calls that the AA receives daily on average. The roll-out is underway and scheduled to be completed in early 2016.

The tablets replace the existing Panasonic Toughbook CF-19 notebooks, and the manufacturer says the new tablets will be lighter and easier to use, offer improved 4G communications and enhanced features such as on-screen forms and signature capture.

Arran Simms, motoring innovations manager at The AA, said: “The move to a Panasonic Toughpad tablet was a natural evolution for us.

"With the latest 4G communications and touchscreen capabilities via the Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro operating system, our patrols will be able to respond faster and more effectively than ever before.”

The Toughpad FZ-G1 tablet is the primary device for patrols when responding to breakdown calls. The patrols accept jobs via the tablet, locate the breakdown using GPS and let the customer service centre know when they have arrived on site.

They can also search online for specialist knowledge and order replacement parts before completing the task and closing the job.

The AA has also ordered specially designed Panasonic dashboard-mounted vehicle docking stations to hold the tablets when on the move, which enables the devices to be used for job dispatch and route guidance.