Outsourcing testing to a manual testing company offers several advantages. Some benefits include access to a global talent pool, which may have specialized and niche expertise that's not available in-house or in your immediate vicinity. Additionally, outsourcing often improves efficiency, scalability, and flexibility and reduces costs.

While automation testing is a preferred approach to software testing in many cases, manual testing is a better alternative in certain instances. For example, manual testing is useful when you're working with complex user experience assessments or user interfaces. It's also essential for exploratory testing. When the software is still in its early stages of development or the project is relatively short-term, manual testing can be a better approach than test automation as well. 

Automation testing is a QA testing approach in software development. It involves using specialized tools to execute test cases that have been create with automated test scripts. The goal of this approach is to automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks and processes, thereby increasing efficiency, speed, and test coverage. Leveraging this approach, testers can conduct more tests in less time and detect defects early on. 

Automation testing is especially useful for regression testing, load testing, and performance testing. Manual testing is better suited for exploratory testing, usability testing, and any type of testing that demands human intuition and an understanding of the user experience. 

Manual testing tools are software applications that make the manual testing process more efficient and organized. These tools help testers with activities such as test case creation, bug reporting, and execution tracking. They enhance collaboration and communication among team members and improve insight and visibility into the testing process.

Examples of manual testing tools include:

• Test management tools such as TestRail and Zephyr
• Defect tracking tools such as JIRA and Bugzilla
• Documentation tools such as Confluence and Google Docs

The manual testing process is iterative. Usually, it involves several rounds of testing to confirm that the software meets its requirements and functions as intended. These steps involve:

• Requirements analysis
• Test planning
• Test case development
• Test environment setup
• Test execution
• Defect logging
• Test closure 

Manual testing is an important part of the quality assurance process in software development. It facilitates a detailed assessment of the software from the end-user's perspective. By conducting manual testing, testers can identify usability issues, better understand user interactions, and catch bugs that you might not spot via automated testing. 

Manual testing ensures that the software is not only functional but also aligned with user expectations. This leads to a higher-quality software solution overall. 

You can measure the effectiveness of manual testing through metrics such as:

• The number of defects found
• Test coverage
• Defect leakage
• Test execution time
• User feedback and satisfaction

A manual tester should have various technical and interpersonal skills. Technical skills and competencies include an understanding of software development and testing methodologies, such as Agile and Scrum, and a basic knowledge of coding. Interpersonal or soft skills manual testers should have include strong attention to detail, creativity, critical thinking, communication, and analytical skills. 

Yes, combining manual and automated testing approaches is an effective way to evaluate quality in the software development life cycle. This strategy takes advantage of the speed and efficiency of automated testing for repetitive and regression tasks, along with the human touch in manual testing involving exploratory and usability testing. By blending these approaches, testers ensure comprehensive coverage, optimize resources, and enhance the quality of the software solution.