With all the buzz around automation and artificial intelligence, you might be wondering if manual testing has become outdated. Should companies still invest time and resources in having people manually test their Salesforce systems? The answer might surprise you.
The Current State of Salesforce Testing
In 2025, the testing landscape looks very different than it did just a few years ago. Automation tools have become more sophisticated, AI-powered testing is emerging, and companies are under constant pressure to release updates faster. Yet despite all these technological advances, manual testing hasn’t disappeared—it’s evolved.
Understanding What Manual Testing Actually Means
Before we dive deeper, let’s clarify what we mean by manual testing. This is when a human tester interacts with Salesforce just like a regular user would, clicking buttons, entering data, and verifying that everything works correctly. They’re not running scripts or using automation tools—they’re using their eyes, judgment, and experience.
Manual testers check things like:
- Whether buttons are in the right place
- If error messages make sense
- How the system feels to use
- If the workflow is intuitive
- Whether designs look good on different devices
Is Manual Salesforce Testing Still Relevant in 2025? The Honest Answer
Yes, manual testing remains highly relevant, but its role has changed significantly. Instead of doing repetitive, routine checks (which automation handles beautifully), manual testers now focus on areas where human intelligence, creativity, and intuition provide unique value.
Think of it this way: Automated testing is like having a robot follow a recipe perfectly every time, while manual testing is like having an experienced chef who can taste, adjust, and innovate beyond the recipe.
Areas Where Manual Testing Still Excels
Let’s explore specific situations where manual Salesforce testing proves invaluable, even in our automated world.
User Experience and Usability Testing
Automation can verify that a button works, but it can’t tell you if the button is in a confusing location or if the color scheme hurts users’ eyes. Manual testers evaluate the overall user experience, asking questions like:
- Is this easy to use?
- Would a new employee understand this without training?
- Does this make sense in the context of actual business processes?
- Are there unnecessary steps that frustrate users?
These insights are crucial because Salesforce is ultimately used by people, and their satisfaction directly impacts productivity and adoption rates.
Exploratory Testing for Edge Cases
Manual testers excel at thinking outside the box. They might ask themselves, “What happens if I do this in a weird order?” or “What if someone enters an emoji in this field?” These creative scenarios often uncover bugs that automated tests miss because no one thought to program them into the test scripts.
This exploratory approach is particularly valuable after major updates or when implementing new features. Real-world usage is unpredictable, and manual testers can simulate that unpredictability.
Visual and Design Verification
Automated tests struggle with visual elements. Does the new dashboard look professional? Are the charts displaying correctly? Is the mobile layout actually usable on a small screen? Manual testers catch these visual issues that automation might completely miss.
Many businesses, including those showcased on business north west, rely on Salesforce dashboards for critical decision-making. If those dashboards look broken or unprofessional, it undermines confidence in the data.
The Strategic Role of Manual Testing
In 2025, manual testing has shifted from being the primary testing method to playing a strategic, complementary role alongside automation.
Validating Automation Results
Here’s an interesting twist: Sometimes manual testing is needed to verify that automated tests are working correctly. If an automated test passes but users report problems, a manual tester needs to investigate. Are the automated tests checking the right things? Is there a gap in test coverage?
Manual testers act as a quality check on the quality checks, ensuring that your entire testing strategy is sound.
Testing Complex Business Logic
Salesforce implementations often include complex business rules and workflows specific to an organization. While these can be automated, initially validating them requires human understanding of the business context.
For example, if your company has a complex approval process that varies based on deal size, territory, and product type, a manual tester who understands the business can verify that the logic makes sense before creating automated tests for it.
Accessibility Testing
In 2025, accessibility isn’t optional—it’s a legal requirement in many jurisdictions. Manual testers can use screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, and other assistive technologies to verify that Salesforce is truly accessible to users with disabilities.
While some accessibility testing can be automated, human judgment is essential for determining if the experience is actually usable and dignified for people with various abilities.
The Economics of Manual vs. Automated Testing
Let’s talk about the practical consideration every business leader cares about: cost effectiveness.
| Testing Type | Best For | Cost Profile | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual Testing | New features, usability, exploratory testing | Lower upfront, higher long-term | Slower |
| Automated Testing | Regression testing, repetitive checks | Higher upfront, lower long-term | Faster |
| Combined Approach | Comprehensive coverage | Balanced investment | Optimized |
The most successful organizations use a hybrid approach, leveraging the strengths of both methods while minimizing their weaknesses.
Skills Manual Testers Need in 2025
The role of manual testers has evolved. Today’s successful manual testers need:
Business acumen to understand how Salesforce features impact actual business operations and customer experiences.
Technical awareness to collaborate effectively with developers and understand when issues are test environment problems versus real bugs.
Communication skills to document findings clearly and advocate for users who might struggle with poorly designed features.
Adaptability to work with rapidly changing systems and learn new Salesforce features quickly.
Integration with Modern Development Practices
Modern software development uses agile methodologies and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines. Manual testing has adapted to fit this fast-paced environment.
Instead of lengthy testing cycles at the end of a project, manual testers now work throughout the development process. They provide quick feedback on user stories, participate in design reviews, and do focused testing on new features as they’re developed.
This shift means manual testing is more integrated and influential than ever before, similar to how modern marketing strategies discussed on influencers gone wild emphasize continuous engagement rather than occasional campaigns.
When Manual Testing Becomes a Bottleneck
Despite its continued relevance, manual testing can create problems if used inappropriately. Organizations should avoid using manual testing for:
- Repetitive regression testing of the same features over and over
- Testing that needs to run frequently (daily or multiple times per day)
- Scenarios that require testing with large data volumes
- Performance and load testing
- Testing that requires perfect consistency
These scenarios are where automation shines, and forcing manual testers to handle them wastes their unique skills and slows down delivery.
The Future Evolution of Manual Testing
Looking ahead beyond 2025, manual testing will continue to evolve. We’re likely to see:
AI-assisted manual testing where artificial intelligence suggests test scenarios for humans to explore, combining machine learning with human intuition.
Increased specialization with manual testers focusing on specific areas like accessibility, security, or user experience rather than being generalists.
Tighter integration between manual and automated testing, with seamless handoffs and shared insights between both approaches.
Building a Balanced Testing Strategy
Is Manual Salesforce Testing Still Relevant in 2025? Absolutely, but it must be part of a balanced strategy. The key is understanding what to test manually versus what to automate.
A Practical Framework
Start new features with manual exploratory testing to understand how they work and identify edge cases. Then create automated tests for routine checks and regression testing. Continue using manual testing for usability validation, visual verification, and scenarios requiring human judgment.
This approach gives you the speed and consistency of automation while retaining the insight and flexibility of manual testing.
Training and Development
Organizations that still value manual testing invest in their testers’ skills. This includes training on:
- Salesforce platform updates and new features
- Business process analysis
- Test case design and documentation
- Collaboration tools and agile methodologies
- Basic automation concepts to work effectively with automation engineers
Real-World Success Stories
Companies that maintain strong manual testing capabilities alongside automation consistently report:
- Better user satisfaction because someone actually thought about usability during testing
- Fewer embarrassing bugs that automated tests missed but users immediately noticed
- Stronger business alignment because manual testers understand and advocate for business needs
- More complete test coverage by combining automated efficiency with manual thoroughness
Conclusion
Is Manual Salesforce Testing Still Relevant in 2025? Without question, yes. Manual testing has not been replaced by automation—it has been refined and repositioned to focus on areas where human intelligence, creativity, and judgment provide irreplaceable value. The most successful organizations in 2025 don’t choose between manual and automated testing; they strategically combine both approaches to achieve comprehensive quality assurance. Manual testers remain essential for evaluating user experience, exploring edge cases, verifying visual elements, and ensuring accessibility. As Salesforce continues to evolve and businesses become more complex, the need for thoughtful, human-centered testing will only grow. The key is using manual testing wisely—not for everything, but for the things that matter most.