I just completed my buyback under the new procedure. I met with the sales manager of the dealership (Valenti VW in Watertown, CT -- props to them!), who connected me with a buyback agent via the tablet. Mine was the manager's first appointment doing it this way, and it went very smoothly, even with a major snowstorm going on outside! I was out of there in maybe 25 minutes tops, and I got the confirmation email on my way home.
The manager told me they are doing maybe 3-5 buybacks a month at this point, after doing over 600 since November 2016, so I guess that explains the change in course.