I don't like them either, but when I implemented them with our latest SaaS app, it really proved to be extremely useful to engage with users, and bring them back to the fold if they were thinking of letting their trial lapse.
The beauty is that we run it all using Intercom.io, and if someone really doesn't want to hear from us, they can unsubscribe and never hear from us again. If they stay on, we can really tailor the drip onboarding emails and tailor it to suit their situation (e.g. logged on less that 'x' times, only entered < 5 transactions, never visited a particular page etc.)
Speaking of 'dark patterns', I absolutely abhor, and insist on never using pop up email request dialogs on the main landing page of our site. My philosophy is never badger a potential customer before they sign up, but rather entice them to engage with me and my product after they have expressed an interest and signed up for a trial. We don't want to 'punish' people for just looking but we don't want them to feel alone if they are looking to become a user.
Even then, if they choose to walk away, we stop pestering them after one last attempt to entice them back.
So I quit doing all of this right as intercom.io big (3 years ago now), so I'm jealous you are getting to work with them because I have only heard amazing things from the few industry people I still speak with. Maybe one day I will make my way back into the product world, and I will look to implement them instead of having to roll my own!
The beauty is that we run it all using Intercom.io, and if someone really doesn't want to hear from us, they can unsubscribe and never hear from us again. If they stay on, we can really tailor the drip onboarding emails and tailor it to suit their situation (e.g. logged on less that 'x' times, only entered < 5 transactions, never visited a particular page etc.)
Speaking of 'dark patterns', I absolutely abhor, and insist on never using pop up email request dialogs on the main landing page of our site. My philosophy is never badger a potential customer before they sign up, but rather entice them to engage with me and my product after they have expressed an interest and signed up for a trial. We don't want to 'punish' people for just looking but we don't want them to feel alone if they are looking to become a user.
Even then, if they choose to walk away, we stop pestering them after one last attempt to entice them back.