First and foremost, use keywords. Instead of describing the whole story behind your problem, use key words that define your objective, e.g. ‘Account balance’, ‘Power cut’, ‘Booking an appointment’. The bot picks out the nouns from what you say and uses them to guide you further.

Try to speak standard Polish, clearly and slightly more slowly than you would when talking to your family. Your surroundings are also very important – make sure the room is quiet by switching off the radio or television, as background noise may be misinterpreted by the system as your speech. Be prepared: have your ID card or customer number to hand, as the bot will certainly ask for identity verification.

Your surroundings are also key – before you make a call, switch off the TV and radio. Here’s a very important technical point: the bots’ microphones are extremely sensitive. If the news or a TV programme is playing in the background, the system may ‘hear’ voices from the TV instead of you and misunderstand your command. Ensure the room is quiet so that the system can hear only your voice. Finally, be prepared: have your ID card or customer number to hand, as the bot will certainly ask you to verify your identity.

What should you absolutely avoid? The most common mistake is interrupting the bot. The voicebot cannot hear what you’re saying until it has finished its own statement – always listen to the menu until the end.

Don’t tell stories or explain the context; sentences like ‘You see, my grandson pressed something yesterday and now it’s not working’ are just incomprehensible noise to the machine. Simply say: ‘Internet problem’.

Also, avoid shouting or showing anger. A raised voice often distorts the sound of words, causing the bot to ask you to repeat yourself, which will only increase your frustration. Remember: the automated system has no feelings, so being rude won’t speed up the process – it will only make it more difficult.