Definition
Asynchronous Calls is a Salesforce development feature that provides developers with the ability to create custom solutions on the Lightning Platform. It supports building robust, scalable applications that integrate with Salesforce's data and security model.
Real-World Example
a Salesforce developer at CodeBridge uses Asynchronous Calls to create a robust integration between Salesforce and an external system. Using Asynchronous Calls, the developer builds an efficient solution that syncs data in near real-time, handles error scenarios gracefully, and includes detailed logging for troubleshooting.
Why Asynchronous Calls Matters
Asynchronous Calls in Salesforce enable developers to execute long-running operations without blocking user interactions or timing out. When a synchronous operation would exceed governor limits or take too long to complete, asynchronous calls allow code to run in the background, freeing up the user's session immediately. This is critical for integrations with external systems, batch data processing, and complex calculations that would otherwise fail with timeout errors or poor user experience. By leveraging asynchronous calls, developers can build reliable solutions that respect Salesforce's resource constraints while maintaining application responsiveness.
As organizations grow and handle larger data volumes, synchronous processing becomes increasingly problematic—long-running operations frustrate users, cause timeout errors, and consume limited synchronous resources that could serve other requests. Without proper use of asynchronous calls, Salesforce orgs experience performance degradation, failed integrations, and scalability bottlenecks. For example, a synchronous callout to an external API for 10,000 records would almost certainly fail, but processing those records asynchronously using batch Apex or queueable jobs ensures reliable execution. Organizations that fail to adopt asynchronous patterns struggle with production incidents, frustrated end-users, and the inability to automate complex business processes at scale.
How Organizations Use Asynchronous Calls
- TechFlow Solutions — TechFlow integrated Salesforce with their legacy ERP system using asynchronous calls to sync 5,000 customer records daily without blocking user access during peak hours. By implementing a scheduled batch job using asynchronous Apex, they eliminated the previous synchronous integration that was timing out. Within two weeks, their nightly sync time dropped from 45 minutes to 12 minutes, and users could work uninterrupted while data synced automatically in the background.
- CloudPeak Retail — CloudPeak Retail needed to send personalized order confirmation emails with dynamic content to thousands of customers after bulk order imports. They implemented asynchronous calls to queue email sending operations, allowing order imports to complete immediately while emails were generated and sent asynchronously in batches. This reduced the import process from 8 minutes to 30 seconds from the user's perspective, while maintaining reliable email delivery for every order.
- DataBridge Analytics — DataBridge Analytics built a predictive analytics feature that required calling an external ML API for each opportunity in their pipeline—a synchronous approach would timeout after 100 records. Using asynchronous Apex with a custom queue, they process 10,000+ opportunities daily, calling the external API individually and storing predictions in Salesforce without user-facing delays. Their solution includes retry logic and detailed logging, ensuring no data is lost if an API call fails mid-process.