Chilling and pitching a lager

I cooled down my wort to 72 deg. pitched the yeast and put the whole thing in the frig and set at 55.

8 hours later it's at 62.

What is the recommended procedure for chilling a lager from the boiling pot to 55?
Should I pitch the yeast at room temp before it goes into the frig or cool the mix down to 55 then pitch?

I read that a 12 degree temp change in 1 day can shock the yeast.
I'm using a dry lager yeast.

You really have to use ice. You didn't mention what kind of chiller you have but there's always a way to use icewater as your coolant. You can use gravity or a small pond pump. I like to get my lagers down to at least 65F before I pitch but even then, it goes right into the lager fridge at 53F. The last time I did a lager, I got it down to 58 before pitching and it took a good 36 hours to really take off.

So far, I've pitched at room temperature and waited until fermentation starts before cooling. I put the fermenter in the cooler and let it drop. Haven't timed it, but haven't had a problem.