If staff have a phone call, an email exchange, or appointment with a student where their academic plans are discussed, staff will want to document any pertinent academic information you discussed. Students frequently go back to review their notes and appointment summaries, so any instructions or documents that they should review is an important part of documentation.
Appointment summaries are used to document scheduled or drop-in appointments. Notes are used to document quick phone calls, email exchanges, or anything else that should be part of the student record.