Customer Care no longer taking payments over the phone

New this week - if you call into Customer Care (*2) to pay your bill, be prepared to be transferred to the interactive phone system to complete your payment.  In an effort to reduce inbound calls to care centers, and to increase the awareness of self-service options, the policy went into effect at most centers this week. 

If you call for other reasons, the agents have been instructed to resolve any issues first, and inform you that after those are all taken care of you will be transferred to the *3 payment system to complete your payment. While I don't agree with the change, I do see (if only a tiny bit) why it was implemented. It's a step backwards from the personal touch and the 'be the reason' approach, because in all likely hood most customers know they can either pay online at sprint.com or over the phone by dialing *2 - so if they're already on the phone with an agent, and their payment method is already on file, it literally takes 30 seconds to process a payment and all is done. With this new system, not only do I think that some CSAT scores will drop, but it also increases the transfers for each agent - yet another metric that stands between them and a pink slip.

What's your thoughts? If you're arleady on the phone, or willing to wait for an agent, should you be transferred to an automated payment system to complete your payment?